Grebien: Officer’s shooting of suspect ‘seems to follow policy,’ all footage now released

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said he believed a city police officer followed policy when he shot a suspect on Goff Avenue in June, but that he was still waiting to review a report by Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Officer Thomas Letourneau shot and wounded 28-year-old Sebastian Yidana on June 8.

Police said they received calls indicating Yidana was pointing a gun at himself and others.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s tragic, it’s horrible, nobody wants to, but everything seems to follow policy,” Grebien said in an interview with ABC6 News on Thursday. “We’re very fortunate, thank God, the young gentleman was hit in the arm and it wasn’t fatal.”

Police said they later determined the gun was a plastic replica rifle.

Yidana was hospitalized and his mother told reporters he was expected to need surgery.

Grebien also said all police body camera footage related to the incident had been released.

The mayor also said there had been some confusion about whether there was additional footage because Letourneau did not have his body camera turned on at the time of the shooting.

He said Letourneau was working in the police station when the initial call came in, so he didn’t have his camera turned on.

It was instead in “off-duty mode,” Grebien said.

Grebien said the Pawtucket Police Department’s body cameras do not turn on automatically, so Letourneau’s did not record the shooting.

Grebien said Letourneau turned it on once he realized it was off.

Grebien said he was waiting to review Neronha’s investigation, which hasn’t been completed yet.