up.
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FIRST BREAKING NEWS---
PROVIDENCE POLICE SAY THERE WAS
*NO RACIAL PROFILING IN AN
INCIDENT BETWEEN TWO OFFICERS
AND A CITY FIRE FIGHTER JUST
OVER TWO WEEKS AGO.
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THAT FIREFIGHTER, TERRELL PACI
SHARED HIS ACCUSATIONS --- LIVE
WITH ME ON AIR, DURING THE BLACK
LIVES MATTER PROTEST ON JUNE
5TH.
LATE THIS AFTERNOON, PROVIDENCE
POLICE RELEASED SOME BODY CAMERA
FOOTAGE FROM THE ENCOUNTER.
ONE OFFICER INVOLVED WILL BE
DISCIPLINED FOR NOT HAVING HIS
BODY CAMERA ON.
TONIGHT, WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE.
EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER KIM
KALUNIAN IS STANDING BY WITH
REACTION ---
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FIRST, WE GO LIVE TO TARGET 12
INVESTIGATOR STEPH MACHADO WITH
THE BREAKING DETAILS.
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER
STEVEN PARE SAYS OFFICER MATTHEW
SANDORSE WILL BE DISCIPLINED FOR
NOT TURNING ON HIS BODY CAMERA
TO CAPTURE THE ENCOUNTER WITH
FIREFIGHTER TERRELL PACI.
PARE SAID WHILE HE DOES NOT
BELIEVE THE OFFICER RACIALLY
PROFILED PACI. BUT MAY HAVE
ACTED "A BIT INSENSITIVE"
"I was dressed in uniform and
had my radio on and in hand."
IT WAS DURING THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER MARCH IN PROVIDENCE ON
JUNE 5 THAT PROVIDENCE
FIREFIGHTER TERRELL PACI TOLD AN
EMOTIONAL STORY OF HAVING HE
GUNS DRAWN ON HIM BY TWO
PROVIDENCE OFFICERS -- ONE WHITE
AND ONE BLACK -- WHILE SITTING
IN A FRIEND'S CAR WHILE ON DUTY
OUTSIDE THE MESSSER ST FIRE
STATION DAYS EARLIER...
The officer said where's the
gun, is there a gun? I was like
I'm a firefighter, I'm one of
you, don't shoot
AFTER AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION,
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER
STEVEN PARE DESCRIBED THE
FINDINGS IN A ZOOM PRESS
CONFERENCE --
HE SAYS THE OFFICERS WERE
RESPONDING TO A REPORT OF AN
ARMED ROBBERY..
THE VICTIMS DESCRIBING A RED
SEDAN.
PARE SAYS THE FIRST OFFICER WHO
SPOTTED FIREFIGHTER PACI AND HIS
FRIEND IN THE RED CAR -- MATTHEW
SANDORSE -- DID *NOT* ACTIVATE
HIS BODY CAMERA AS REQUIRED WHEN
HE APPROACHED.
THE SECOND OFFICER, NATHANIEL
CALICCI, ACTIVATED HIS AS HE
PULLED UP TO THE SCENE -- YOU
CAN SEE SANDORSE ALREADY
POINTING HIS GUN AT THE RED
SEDAN.
open the door
I'm a (expletive) firefighter
stay right there I didn't tell
you to move
I'm a firefighter
PARE SAYS OFFICER CALICCI THEN
TURNED HIS CAMERA OFF AND LEFT
TO SEARCH FOR THE ARMED ROBBERY
SUSPECTS.
THE REST OF OFFICER SANDORSE'S
INTERACTION LEFT UNRECORDED --
BUT THE INVESTIGATION FOUND HE
DID SPEAK TO PACI ABOUT THE CITY
CURFEW, FOR WHICH HE WAS EXEMPT,
AND THEN HE SEARCHED THE CAR.
He was lawful in asking, any
police officer can ask for a
search, but I believe both
training and better judgment
would have resulted differently.
PARE SAID WHILE SANDORSE MAY
HAVE BEEN INSENSITIVE. HE DOES
*NOT* BELIEVE THERE WAS ANY
RACIAL PROFILING.
They were drawn to the car
because of the description of
the car. So the answer is no
there was no racial profiling
because they didn't know who was
in the car.
COMMISSIONER PARE SAYS POLICE
HAVE NOT YET DETERMINED WHAT
OFFICER SANDORSE'S PUNISHMENT
WILL BE FOR NOT TURNING ON HIS
BODY CAMERA TO RECORD HIS
INTERACTION WITH FIREFIGHTER
PACI....
BUT HE SAID SENSITIVITY TRAINING
WILL LIKELY BE PART OF IT.
MY COLLEAGUE KIM KALUNIAN JUST
SPOKE TO PACI AND THE FIRE UNION
PRESIDENT FOR THEIR REACTIONS TO
THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION
AND JOINS US NOW WITH MORE.
REPORTING LIVE IN PROVIDENCE,
STEPH MACHADO, EYEWITNESS NEWS.
STEPH WE SPOKE WITH TERRELL PACI
JUST A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE
COMMISSIONER'S BRIEFING ENDED -
HE SAYS HE STANDS BY WHAT HE
SAYS AND HOW HE SAID IT.
I'm one of you, don't shoot!
TERRELL PACI'S EMOTIONAL SPEECH
AT THE BLACK LIVES MATTER RALLY
EARLIER THIS MONTH RESONATED FAR
AND WIDE -
AFTER WATCHING THE PUBLIC SAFETY
COMMISSIONER'S BRIEFING ON HIS
STORY TUESDAY -- PACI SAYS HE'S
THANKFUL THAT STEPHEN PARE SAID
WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM WAS
TRAUMATIC.
Whether I was a firefighter,
whether I was black whether I
was white, it shouldn't have
happened.
PACI AND FIRE UNION PRESIDENT
DEREK SILVA SAY PART OF THEIR
ISSUE WITH THE INCIDENT ON JUNE
3 WAS THAT THE CAR PACI WAS IN
WAS STILL SEARCHED - EVEN AFTER
HE AND FEMALE FRIEND WERE
CLEARED AS SUSPECTS.
Do you believe if the color of
your skin was different, if you
were white in that same moment
it would have played out
differently
I cant say that for a fact
whether or not it would have
changed because of my skin color
- but I know that because of my
skin color I didn't feel as
comfortable in the situation.
Do you think the body camera
footage prove he was racially
profiled?
I don't think were claiming I
know we weren't claiming that he
was racially profiled
THE HEAD OF THE PROVIDENCE
POLICE UNION -- MICHAEL IMONDI -
SAYS HE WAS DISHEARTENED THAT
MOST OF THE BLAME APPEARED TO BE
PUT ON THE OFFICERS TUESDAY -
BUT HE SAYS THE FACTS CLEAR HIS
MEN OF ANY RACIAL MOTIVATION.
There is now at that racial
profiling or bias was used in
this car stop whatsoever.
AND IMONDI CONTENDS THAT THERE
WERE SOME ERRORS IN PARE'S
ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT -
INCLUDING THAT THE OFFICER WHO
DID NOT TURN ON HIS BODY CAMERA
FAILED TO NOTIFY HIS SUPERIORS
AS IS PROTOCOL - IMONDI SAYS THE
OFFICER DID INDEED MAKE THAT
NOTIFICATION.
REPORTING LIVE IN PROVIDENCE I'M
KIM KALUNIAN, EYEWITNESS NEWS.