Newly Released Bodycam Video Shows Aftermath Of Providence Crash

PROVIDENCE, RI — Newly released bodycam footage from the Providence Police Department shows the moments leading up to and the aftermath of a crash that sparked days of protests and dozens of arrests.

The videos consist of bodycam footage from several officers immediately following the crash that involved a 24-year-old man on a scooter and a Providence police cruiser.

The first video appears to be from the officer involved in the crash. The beginning of the clip shows the officer in the cruiser turning the wheel sharply before coming to a sudden stop and running out of the vehicle. There is no sound in the beginning of the clip, which police said during a previous investigation is part of how the camera records.

After leaving the cruiser, the officer grabs the victim, Jhamal Gonsalves, by the arm, and pulls. Two other officers pull the scooter away from his legs.

"Don't take his helmet off if he has a head injury," an officer can be heard saying in one video as other officers gather around Gonsalves. "Don't touch his head or anything like that."

Later in the same clip, the officer goes to speak with an unidentified bystander, asking him to "have some respect for the body" as he takes cellphone video.

"That's f----- up man, you guys should have some respect," the man said, saying he "saw the whole thing" and that Gonsalves was hit by the cruiser from behind.

Another officer speaks with the same bystander in a different video, telling him to get out of the road and stand on the sidewalk, shoving him with one hand and telling him to stay back.

"No one hit him with a car," the officer said to the man, who cannot be heard clearly in the clip.

Gonsalves is unresponsive in the videos, and officers can be heard saying he was hit in the head by the fallen stop sign next to him. As Gonsalves breathes raggedly, officers discuss a possible overdose, administering Narcan. Another officer said it's possible he had a seizure due to the head trauma.

Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré said there "will be administrative review" of the use of Narcan and said the decision to use it was made in the moment by the officers.

The investigation is being conducted by the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office, in conjunction with the Rhode Island State Police and Providence Police Department. The officer involved in the crash, which happened Oct. 18 on Elmwood Avenue, is on administrative leave. Paré said the preliminary report from state police is expected within about a week.

The investigation is still ongoing, he said, and anyone with video of the crash or who witnessed it is urged to reach out to Providence police or the Attorney General's office. There is still no video that clearly shows the point of impact of the crash.

Few of the officers appear to be wearing masks in the videos, which Gov. Gina Raimondo criticized during her weekly news conference Wednesday, saying "no one is above the law" and that it's the responsibility of police departments and public leaders to model best practices. She added that she understood how officers could forget to put a mask on in the heat of the moment when responding to an emergency.

The videos are available on the department's website.

Read more:

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• Providence Police Officer On Leave After Pursuit Severely Injures 24-Year-Old