Suspect identified in police-involved shooting

CRANSTON, R.I (WLNE)- An on-duty Cranston police officer fired his gun at a suspect Saturday morning. 

The shooting occurred around 11:00 a.m on Cranston Street, near the Cranston-Providence line.

The officer noticed a driver not wearing a seat belt on Cranston St., according to Cranston Police. The officer put his overhead emergency lights on to stop the driver. 

However, according to the Police Dept. the driver, Anthony T. McKinney, attempted to flee and suddenly swerved into the left lane and sideswiped a car stopped in traffic. 

McKinney, 28, from Providence, was unable to keep driving due to traffic. The officer then approached him on foot. 

The Police Dept. then says McKinney put his car in reverse, passing the officer the wrong way down Cranston St., before striking a guardrail. 

The officer pointed his gun at McKinney, telling him to stop. Police say McKinney starting driving towards the officer. The officer fired one round at the suspect, and the bullet went through the windshield but did not hit McKinney.

McKinney is now in custody and neither he or the officer was injured. 

But it still has neighbors on edge.

“That makes me feel uneasy,” said Clarence Quinones. “I have two kids that live around here, they go to school right down the street.”

Providence Police say McKinney’s last known address was on Plainfield Street, at a building that’s part of a non–profit organization known as Open Doors. It provides housing to people transitioning  out of prison life.

“Catering to people like me who have a bit of a troubled history, to help you get a job, help brush up on your resume,” said resident Tristan Warren.

According to the Cranston Police Dept., McKinney has a lengthy record, including narcotics-related charged and a 2011 conviction for armed robbery which he received a 15 year sentence for. He was released in January 2019. He also has an active arrest warrant from the Providence Police Department for assault.

But Warren is surprised by the officer-involved shooting.

“Kinda wondering what my neighbor had to go through,” he said. “This building is meant for people who are actually turning a new leaf in life.”

A joint investigation was launched with the Cranston Police Department, Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, Rhode Island State Police and Providence Police Department into the incident.

“The officer involved in this incident is an eight-year veteran of the Cranston Police Department who is well trained,”  Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston Police, said. “Based on a preliminary investigation, I support the officer’s actions. Fortunately, he was not injured, and he can go home to his family tonight. The suspect unnecessarily created an extremely dangerous situation that endangered the officer’s life and the general public.” 

©WLNE-TV/ABC6 2019