Suspect killed and officer shot in leg in Newport shootout over stolen sailboat

A suspected boat thief has been killed and a police officer shot in the leg during a shootout over a stolen sailboat in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Police Department on Friday released bodycam video from the incident, which happened in August.

Police said the incident took place on August 26, when officers received a call about a stolen sailboat in Newport Harbor. According to police, the suspect opened fire seconds after the officers arrived.

Officers returned fire. One of them was heard numerous times on his own bodycam recording saying he had been shot in the leg.

The suspect was eventually shot and pronounced dead on scene. Police confirmed that the suspect was Brendan Norris, 27.

The stolen sailboat matched the description of a boat named "Pathfinder" that was reported stolen from Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey. Police say Norris allegedly stole the boat from the marina and traveled from New Jersey to Rhode Island.

In a few social posts shared in August, people claiming to be friends of the boat's owner asked the public to keep an eye out for the missing vessel, which the post described as a "2 masted Yawl Hinckley Bermuda 40".

Following the video's release, the police department said: "Our goal in releasing this video is to provide the public and the media with an accurate, factual, and transparent presentation of the incident, allowing viewers to better understand the circumstances and information surrounding our officers' actions."

The department confirmed it is conducting a joint investigation into the incident with the help of Rhode Island State Police.