PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while authorities investigate the use of a “less lethal device” that sent a man to the hospital during an outbreak of violence in Providence a week ago.
The officer involved is a 13-year veteran of the Providence department, according to an emailed statement late Monday from department spokeswomen Lindsay Lague.
“We confirm that this investigation involves the use of a less lethal device,” the statement said. No additional details were provided.
An adult male is being treated at Rhode Island Hospital the statement said.
No names were released.
Several hundred people gathered outside the Providence Place mall on June 1 and in the predawn hours of June 2 went on a destructive rampage, breaking into the mall, smashing storefronts and burning a police cruiser.
The commander of the Rhode Island State Police has said that the vandals were not protesting the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by Minneapolis police last month, but were a “mob” seeking to cause destruction.
Nearly 70 people were arrested and about 10 police officers were injured during the mayhem.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)