Fall River Police on Wednesday released body-worn camera footage and the results of investigations into the February 8th officer-involved shooting on Linden Street that left 40-year-old Nigel Vaughn dead and two officers wounded.
According to the police department’s update, officers had two encounters with Vaughn during the late evening of February 7 and early morning of February 8 amid extreme cold and adverse weather following a snowstorm. The first involved a 911 call about erratic driving and an altercation near Knight’s Gas Station/Towing on Linden Street. Roughly an hour later, officers responded to a second 911 call reporting a man with a firearm in the same area.
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Body cam video link
During the second encounter, Vaughn resisted a pat frisk, leading to a physical struggle. While on the ground, he produced a firearm and fired at officers, striking one in the elbow and another in the abdomen (the round hitting the officer’s bullet-resistant vest). Officers returned fire, striking Vaughn, who was later pronounced dead. A Glock equipped with an aftermarket “switch” that allowed fully automatic fire was recovered next to him. Investigators determined Vaughn was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Vaughn had been sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison in 2007 for shooting three people in 2005 at Larry’s Sports Pub on Morgan Street; all three victims survived.
The Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit and Bristol County District Attorney’s Office investigated the use of force and determined it was justified. The department’s Shooting Investigation Team conducted a separate administrative review and reached the same conclusion, finding the officers’ actions consistent with department policy and the Commonwealth’s use-of-force regulations (555 CMR 6.00). The Shooting Review Board unanimously agreed.
In its statement, the department said Vaughn’s discharge of a firearm at officers created an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury, and that the officers’ response met legal and policy standards under the circumstances known to them at the time. The department acknowledged the loss of life and extended condolences to Vaughn’s family while noting the risks officers faced that morning.
Body-worn camera footage from the incident was released with the findings. The department said the release was made in the interest of transparency.
