Police: Unpaid debt led to shooting by 80-year-old

Posted 6/30/16

TIVERTON — An unpaid debt is the likely motive that led an 80-year-old Tiverton man to shoot an 81-year-old Kingston, Mass., man to death in Pocasset Hill Cemetery on June 13, police …

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Police: Unpaid debt led to shooting by 80-year-old

Posted

TIVERTON — An unpaid debt is the likely motive that led an 80-year-old Tiverton man to shoot an 81-year-old Kingston, Mass., man to death in Pocasset Hill Cemetery on June 13, police say.

Investigators say that Edward Aquisto of Tiverton and John Cloud of Kingston met in the cemetery early that evening. They had agreed to do so, said Tiverton Police Chief Thomas Blakey, to discuss a loan that Mr. Aquisto had taken from a church in Kingston, Mass., the Associated Press reports.

After shooting Mr. Cloud several times, Mr. Aquisto fled the cemetery and Tiverton, heading north into Fall River.

There he encountered Fall River police who had been notified to be on the lookout for that vehicle. Police say Mr. Acquisto turned around and, at a high rate of speed, fled back down Main Road into Tiverton, turning right onto Ford Farm Road, a cul-de-sac across from the cemetery. After getting out of his car with a gun and allegedly shooting at officers, Mr. Acquisto was shot dead by police. Several officers — from Fall River and Tiverton — were placed on paid leave after that as is customary during police shootings.

Chief Blakey declined to identify the church involved, the reason for the loan, or the amount of money involved but did say that Mr. Acquisto had repaid little of the amount owed.

Police earlier said they had learned that Mr. Acquisto sometimes visited the cemetery where he read his Bible.

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