An evidence markers and medical paraphernalia sit in the parking lot after former New Bedford Deputy Fire Chief Paul Coderre, 55, of Dartmouth, was killed by police after he fired his handgun at them from the parking lot of the Bayside Lounge in Fairhaven on 12/29/23. Photo by Beth David.
By Beth David, Editor
The Bristol County District Attorney’s office released the report on the police shooting of Paul Coderre, Jr. at the Bayside Lounge in Fairhaven on December 29, 2023. (See 1/4/24 issue.)
The report concludes that police were justified in their response to Mr. Coderre who was “actively shooting at police officers, striking one of them.”
“The use of force by officers from the Acushnet, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett police departments was consistent with the severity of the situation and with each department’s internal policies regarding the use of force,” reads the report. “Due to Mr. Coderre’s unprovoked actions, the use of deadly force in this incident was reasonable.”
Mr. Coderre, 55, was a retired New Bedford firefighter and had been acting chief. He was embroiled in a fight with the city which accused him of faking an injury to claim disability. His pension was approved by the retirement board, and he filed an appeal with the Civil Service Commission over his termination. He won the appeal, but had also learned that day, that the city was going to appeal the decision.
He had been drinking at the Bayside with other members of the Bristol County Fire Chiefs Association, which the group did every Friday.
According to the report, the entire incident is documented by Fairhaven Police dash cam video beginning with the first cruiser to arrive. Cellphone video from a bystander was also used, documenting the period before police arrived.
An Acushnet police officer was shot in the leg during the incident, with the bullet passing completely through his leg and not recovered, according to the report. The officer was treated and released that night.
The report says that a Fairhaven police officer parked his cruiser in the middle of the parking lot with the dash cam running. He approached Mr. Coderre who “took an aggressive stance and moved his hand towards his hip,” leading the officer to believe Mr. Coderre was reaching for a weapon. The officer drew his firearm and retreated to his cruiser. Soon after, other officers arrived and mutual aid was requested from Acushnet and Mattapoisett.
“Officers repeatedly attempted to deescalate the situation,” reads the report, and several friends were allowed to speak with him. “All attempts to verbally convince Mr. Coderre to surrender his weapon failed. Mr. Coderre appeared intoxicated, and he repeatedly threatened to shoot himself. He told officers that he would not fire at them. He would either shoot himself or make officers shoot him.”
The standoff lasted about 30 minutes.
Police used three non-lethal methods to try to subdue Mr. Coderre. They used a taser twice, a BolaWrap device, and a bean bag. Nothing worked.
“When all three less lethal devices failed, Mr. Coderre pulled a firearm from a holster on his right hip,” reads the report. “Mr. Coderre began firing the weapon directly at several police officers who had been standing by, ready to tackle Mr. Coderre…An Acushnet office was shot in the leg.”
Four officers shot back, according to the report, and Mr. Coderre fell. He had been shot five times.
The report includes summaries of interviews with officers on the scene, Mr. Coderre’s wife, who was also on the scene; two civilian witnesses; a description of two short cell phone videos; dash cam video; three body worn cameras by Mattapoisett officers; autopsy results; ballistics evidence.
Police recovered eight spent shell casings fired from Mr. Coderre’s 9 mm Luger firearm. A total of 22 spent casings were recovered from police weapons, including seven .45 Auto +P by the Acushnet police officer who was shot; four 9 mm Luger +P by a Fairhaven police sergeant; 11 5.56 mm fired by a Mattapoisett police officer; and one Remington .223 by the first Fairhaven police officer to arrive at the parking lot.
According to those interviewed, Mr. Coderre was upset about the recent decision by the city to appeal the Civil Service Commission decision. One witness said it was apparent that Mr. Coderre “was not his normal self” when he arrived at the Bayside at 11:30 a.m.
He bought a round of shots in memory of a former fire chief who died from suicide a few years ago. After he had a few more drinks and another round of shots, the witness called Mr. Coderre’s wife and told her that he would need help getting home.
Another witness said he had breakfast with Mr. Coderre, and he was acting normally until he got the call telling him the city was appealing the decision, and he got “a little pissed off.”
Mrs. Coderre went to the Bayside and said Mr. Coderre did not seem happy see her, which was unusual because he was normally happy when she joined him.
He seemed agitated, and turned his back to her. She saw his key fob sticking out of his back pocket and took it without his knowledge.
They left together, but when they got outside, he was looking for his key fob. Mrs. Coderre told him they should take her vehicle home together. He began yelling and demanding the keys. He punched out the driver’s window of his truck to get to a spare set of keys.
He became verbally aggressive and began swearing at her.
Mrs. Coderre told investigators that her husband had never spoken to her like that.
She solicited help from a friend in the bar and Mr. Coderre grabbed him by the throat, began to strangle him, and slammed his against the truck, which caused the remaining glass to shatter.
Mrs. Coderre said her husband was not normally an angry drunk, so his behavior was atypical.
Another firefighter friend also went outside and it set Mr. Coderre off more. He pulled out his firearm and pointed it at Mrs. Coderre, then shot it in the air.
Mrs. Coderre hid behind her vehicle and saw a police cruiser pull into the lot.
“She heard her husband yell, ‘I’m gonna die today,’” reads the report.
She told investigators that her husband could not have any more surgeries and was referred to pain management. She said he had recently switched medications and had seemed more agitated.
The two civilian videos corroborate much of what Mrs. Coderre told investigators. They show him grabbing his friend and swearing at them to go away.
He tells his friend and his wife, “If they call the cops here, I’m going to kill some cops,” according to the report.
The dash cam video shows Mr. Coderre telling officers “There’s no coming back from this,” and “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
He alternately says he does not want to shoot officers, then threatens to make them shoot him.
He was “enraged” that someone called the police.
He told officers, “I know this isn’t going to end well for me.”
He was “especially adamant that he was not going to jail and that the police were not going to take his firearm.”
“He told the police that the situation was going to end ‘one of two ways, you guys are going to shoot me or I’m going to shoot me.’”
“Don’t lose any sleep over this, this is my decision,” he told them.
After about 30 minutes, police tried the three non lethal methods. Approximately seven seconds after the failed beanbag attempt, Mr. Coderre fired his weapon “repeatedly and in rapid succession.”
The Acushnet officer was shot. Officers fired back.
“The time from the first taser deployment to Mr. Coderre falling to the ground after being shot was approximately twelve seconds,” reads the report.
Mr. Coderre’s blood alcohol level was .202; the limit in Mass. is .08. He did not have any illegal drugs in his system.
Mr. Coderre had a valid license to carry firearms. He was known to carry a firearm at all times, and he had 39 firearms registered to him. He was a former firearms instructor and former part owner of a firearms store.
Attorneys David J. Hoey and Philip N. Beauregard released a statement saying that Mr. Coderre died on the day he learned that the city was appealing the Civil Service Commission’s decision. His estate is investigating its options “and will seek civil remedies from the Mayor and the City of New Bedford.”
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