North Providence Police open fire on man brandishing ‘replica’ gun

An officer that joined the North Providence Police Department in October is now on administrative leave, after shooting a man outside his home Sunday night.

It unfolded at around 8:30 p.m. on Manning Street after police got a call from family about a loved one threatening to harm themselves.

That man was identified as 32 year-old Richard Solitro.

When officers got to the scene, Solitro was not there but he later drove up and was pointing a replica gun at officers that looked like the real thing.

Ofc. Mathieu Florio, 23, fired ‘several shots’ at Solitro after demanding that he drop the weapon. Solitro was hit by the gunfire, according to Deputy Chief Arthur Martins.

“The officer continued to give commands and eventually the officer fired several shots, striking the male,” Martins said. “The officer’s actions appear to be completely justified.”

Solitro was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Ofc. Florio came to North Providence from Tiverton, where he was an officer for 18 months. After about a month of field training in North Providence, Ofc. Florio began lone patrol about three weeks ago, according to Martins.

It’s unclear if Florio went through any crisis training, but Martins said all North Providence officers that come from the academy take a mandatory mental health first aid class.

Authorities confiscated the fake gun, that Martins said looked like the real thing. It is now in the hands of Rhode Island State Police.

“I’ve been a law enforcement officer for over 30 years and if that was pointed at me, I would be 100 percent certain that was a firearm,” Martins said.

Deputy Chief Martins added that the fake gun looked and weighed the same as a real gun.

Neighbors in the area are now shocked that their quiet neighborhood is now at the center of an officer involved shooting investigation.

“Me and my family were here and we had no idea what was going on,” said Joseph Gallo, who said he heard a woman screaming before the shots were fired. “I’ve been living here 20 years and nothing like that has happened before.”

“We were locking our doors, making sure all the windows were locked and stuff,” said Halie Lemont, a nearby neighbor.

Solitro is expected to face felony assault charges for pointing that fake gun at officers when he gets out of the hospital.

State Police and the Attorney General’s office is now handling the investigation.