Fall River Officer-Involved Shooting Leaves Teen Dead

FALL RIVER, MA – A New Bedford man is dead following an officer-involved shooting in Fall River Sunday night, the Bristol District Attorney's office said. Police are investigating the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Larry Ruiz-Barreto, according to Fall River Police Department spokesman John Robinson. Robinson said officers responded to the intersection of Riggenbach and Airport Road around 11:45 p.m. Sunday night after a caller reported a "car smoking" and "two loud bangs that sounded like gunshots."

The caller was unsure if people were fighting or if there was a crash, Robinson said. Police also received reports of "several cars in the area" and a "green hatchback with stickers all over it, smoking."

The DA's office said a number of cars left the area as police approached. The first officer at the scene attempted to stop a vehicle from leaving and fired shots into the car during the encounter. The driver, later identified as Ruiz-Barreto, was hit and taken to Charlton Memorial Hospital. He was pronounced dead a short time after, according to the DA.

Robinson said five people were arrested at the hospital following a "disturbance" related to the shooting. They will be arraigned Monday.

The shooting is under investigation by the Bristol County District Attorneys’ Office, Massachusetts State Police, Fall River Police Department Major Crimes Division and the Fall River Police Crime Scene Unit. An investigation is also being conducted by the Office of Professional Standards.

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