Providence I-95 Shooting: ACLU Questions Lack Of Transparency

PROVIDENCE, RI — A high-speed chase last week ended with police shooting a driver to death and injuring his passenger on Interstate 95 in downtown Providence. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union wants to know whether the chase and lethal force were justified, why several body cameras weren't activated and why state police have yet to name the troopers involved.

Joseph Santos, 32, tried to speed away from officers on Thursday. When he became stuck in traffic, he repeatedly rammed the car in front of him as officers jumped out of the way, police said. City and state police fired more than 40 rounds, killing Santos and injuring his passenger, Christine Demers, 37. Both agencies commended responding officers for keeping the public safe, but the ACLU of Rhode Island wants more answers.

"In the absence of additional information, it would be wrong to blame the police for what they did," the ACLU said in a commentary on the shooting. "But it is just as inappropriate for police officials to so quickly conclude that there is no fault by police for what happened either."

It wasn't immediately clear why Santos refused to stop, but police have said he had two outstanding warrants.

City police identified both their officers involved and video footage on Friday. Officers only recently began wearing body cameras, and only one of the department's five officers who used their weapons had body camera footage.

State Police Col. Ann Assumpico, in a press conference on Saturday, wouldn't release the names of the four troopers involved, although she commended them, The Providence Journal reported.

The ACLU is asking state police to release its high-speed pursuit policy and the troopers' names. It said the agency's decision not to name the troopers "represents a glaring and troubling lack of transparency."

State police didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

The shooting happened less than two hours after a suspect who was being taken to court was left alone in a state police cruiser. The man stole the police vehicle, drove it to a Providence neighborhood and abandoned it.

Authorities on Friday arrested Donald Morgan, 35, who was wanted for stealing the cruiser.

The trooper who left Morgan alone was "following protocol," Assumpico said, according to The Providence Journal. The trooper stopped to investigate an accident scene, and state police must leave their keys in their cars to run emergency lights, She said. She would not name the trooper.

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT, Associated Press

Photo credit: Rhode Island Department of Transportation via AP