Former Acting Fire Chief in New Bedford Shot and Killed by Police in Standoff at Fairhaven Bar

Accident – death – Obituary News : Former Acting Fire Chief in New Bedford Fatally Shot by Police in Standoff Outside Fairhaven Bar

A former acting fire chief in New Bedford, identified as 55-year-old Paul Coderre of Dartmouth, was shot and killed by police after allegedly opening fire on officers in a standoff outside a Fairhaven bar and grill on Friday night. The incident resulted in a police officer from Acushnet being shot in the leg, according to Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn.

The Fairhaven Police Department received a call around 5 p.m. reporting an intoxicated man at the Bayside Lounge on Sconticut Neck Road. Officers from surrounding communities also responded for mutual aid. Later, gunshots were exchanged between Coderre and the officers.

According to Quinn, Coderre had been drinking with his friends when an altercation occurred inside the Bayside Lounge, which then escalated outside. The police were called to the scene. A preliminary investigation revealed that Coderre had been at the bar for several hours before the altercation took place. As he tried to get into his vehicle, another individual attempted to stop him from driving, leading to a physical altercation in the parking lot near his vehicle.

During the confrontation, Coderre was armed with a gun. The police tried non-lethal force, including using a taser, to subdue him, but their attempts were unsuccessful. Coderre fired his gun at some point, prompting the police to return fire, resulting in his death.

It has been confirmed that Coderre was the former acting fire chief of New Bedford. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell expressed his condolences on Facebook, stating that the shooting was tragic in every sense. He expressed relief that the injured officer would make a full recovery and that no one else was seriously hurt.

The Acushnet Police Department was unavailable for comment, and the Fairhaven Police Department referred further inquiries to the Bristol district attorney’s office.

Coderre’s termination as New Bedford’s acting fire chief in January 2022 stemmed from allegations of abusing the fire department’s leave policy and being dishonest about injuries sustained on the job. However, he appealed his dismissal to the state’s Civil Service Commission, which recently overturned the termination based on its findings that New Bedford failed to prove his misrepresentation of physical abilities or abuse of the injury leave policy.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the authorities.

For more information, please contact Nick Stoico at nick.stoico@globe.com or follow him on Twitter @NickStoico.

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