Rhode Island police fatally shoot man suspected of killing 2

A man suspected of shooting and killing two people and wounding a third in Rhode Island on Wednesday morning was himself fatally shot by police after fleeing the scene, law enforcement officials said.

Officers responding to 911 calls about gunfire found one adult victim in the suspect’s home in Johnston and another adult victim in a neighbor’s home at about 7:30 a.m., Johnston Police Chief Mark Vieira said at a news conference. A 15-year-old girl was also shot and taken to the hospital but is expected to survive, he said.

The victims’ names were not released.

The killings were sparked by some sort of neighborhood dispute, but police did not provide details because the investigation is ongoing. Vieira did say officers had been to the neighborhood where the shootings occurred at around midnight, but he did not disclose why.

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The suspect, identified as James Harrison, 52, of Johnston, did not appear to have a criminal record in the state.

Police in Cranston spotted him in a vehicle at about 9:30 a.m. after Johnson police put out a description, Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist said.

During a pursuit, Harrison drove the wrong way the Plainfield Pike, swerved at several police vehicles and struck one, then hit a rock that disabled his vehicle, Winquist said.

Police shot Harrison when he got out of his vehicle brandishing a gun at officers.

“As you can imagine this was a traumatic incident, there’s a person that’s deceased, and these officers did the best they could to protect themselves and the public,” Winquist said.

The state attorney general’s office is investigating law enforcement’s use of deadly force, which is standard protocol, spokesperson Brian Hodge said.