Suspect shot outside of Bristol Police Department

BRISTOL, R.I. (WLNE) — A Bristol police officer shot a suspect in the police station parking lot on Metacom Avenue Thursday night.

Police said the suspect, who has not been named, is a 39-year-old man believed to be from Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

Police said he followed two women after an incident at Colt State Park.

The women, fearing for their safety, drove to the police station. It was there that the suspect allegedly rammed their car around 9 p.m.

A Bristol police sergeant responded outside the station and the suspect then drove toward the sergeant, police said. That’s when the sergeant fired two shots at the suspect.

The suspect was taken to Rhode Island Hospital to be treated for gunshot wounds. Police said he was alert before being driven to the hospital.

Police said the incident at Colt State Park started earlier Thursday evening. The two women, described only as college-aged, were visiting the park.

Police said the suspect pulled up alongside the two women naked and made hand gestures that concerned them.

A heavy police presence outside the Bristol police station Thursday, Oct. 12, 2013. (WLNE)

The women then decided to leave the park, police said. That’s when the suspect allegedly followed them, sped up in his car, and was flashing his high beams behind their car.

Police said the women called a friend for advice, and that friend suggested they drive to the Bristol Police Department headquarters.

An off-duty police officer’s spouse then saw the women driving in to the station parking lot, and notified the desk sergeant.

Police said the women exited their car and were screaming for help as the suspect continued to ram the car.

That’s when the police sergeant became involved, and shot at the suspect, police said.

The two women had only minor injuries. The officer who shot at the suspect was not hurt.

The officer was not wearing a body camera because he was performing an administrative duty, police said. There is surveillance footage, however, that will be reviewed by the attorney general.

The officer involved in the shooting has not been named.

The entire sequence is under investigation by Bristol police and the attorney general’s office.