The Bristol Police Department on Tuesday released surveillance camera footage from an incident that occurred on Thursday, Oct. 12 involving the police shooting of a suspect who had reportedly followed two Roger Williams University students from Colt State Park and proceeded to ram their vehicle while parked outside of Bristol Police Headquarters.

The department released footage from multiple angles captured by cameras set up outside the police station, which show the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Mark Rinn of Rehoboth, Mass., following the vehicle containing the two students into the south parking area of the police station.

After a moment where police appear to be talking to Rinn in his vehicle, Rinn suddenly backs up, nearly hitting Sgt. Paul Medeiros, who was the on-duty desk sergeant at the time, and a man identified only as a “retired officer” by the video footage and in the press release, proceeding to accelerate forward at a rapid pace, striking the vehicle holding the students.

Sgt. Medeiros can be seen firing at the car after it attempts to back up and ram the vehicle a second time.

The full press release can be read below:

On 10/12/23 at approximately 9:00PM Bristol Police responded to a complaint in the south lot of police headquarters located at 395 Metacom Avenue. It was learned through our investigation that 2 female RWU students had been followed to the police department from Colt State Park by a male party that was unknown to them. The suspect was later identified as Mark Rinn (“Rinn or suspect”) age 39 from Rehoboth, MA.

The college students stated that Rinn had approached them in Colt State Park making unexpected hand gestures to them from his vehicle and they became immediately concerned and left for their safety. Rinn proceeded to follow the students as they drove to the Bristol Police Station. The students proceeded to the south side of the building and stopped adjacent to a retired officer’s spouse SUV parked in the south lot awaiting her husband. The students requested assistance from the retired officer’s spouse. She called the police inside the building and requested assistance outside. Sergeant Paul Medeiros, who was serving as the desk sergeant at the time, and the retired Officer exited the building and encountered the students and the suspect. The suspect was observed to be completely naked inside his vehicle which was parked adjacent to the students.

The department is releasing surveillance footage of the exterior of the police department which captured the incident in its entirety in response to an Access to Public Records Request. Notably, Sgt Medeiros was performing administrative duties inside the police station at the time of the incident and there is no associated body worn camera footage of the incident as it transpired from his viewpoint. There is Body Worn Camera (BWC) recordings of responding officers who rendered immediate medical aid to the suspect and comfort to the college students which does not depict the officer involved shooting.

Sergeant Medeiros immediately called for rescue and responding officers including Sgt. Medeiros rendered medical aid to Rinn until EMS personnel arrived. Rinn was transported to RI hospital for further care and the students were treated for minor injuries at the scene.

On October 16, 2023, Mark Rinn was arraigned by Judge Nicholas J. Parrillo at RI Hospital and charged with four (4) counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (R.I. Gen. Laws §11-5-2). Rinn plead not guilty and was granted $60,000 surety bail to be released and ordered to have no contact with the two (2) RWU student victims.

The case is presently still under investigation by the Rhode Island State Police, the Attorney General’s investigative office and the Bristol Police Department in accordance with the updated Attorney Generals protocol.