PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Glocester man who was fatally shot by police in Providence on Friday was scheduled to face a judge Monday on an unrelated matter, court records show.
Michael Pinto, 40, died at the hospital after he was shot outside the emergency entrance to Women & Infants Hospital on Gay Street. Police said two officers opened fire after Pinto allegedly reversed his vehicle toward one of them and a nurse who was standing there.
Police had been pursuing Pinto after he allegedly fled a traffic stop in Burrillville and drove at an officer, who also fired two shots at his vehicle. That stop, according to police, was initiated because Pinto had fled from police the day before when they tried to pull him over near the Glocester town line.
And that wasn’t the only time Pinto was the subject of a police pursuit. Johnston Police Chief Mark Vieira told 12 News that Providence police were chasing Pinto after he was seen fleeing the scene of a shots-fired call on Manton Avenue the night of April 23.
At one point, Pinto hit a Providence cruiser on a dead-end street in Johnston, police said, then led officers on a pursuit onto Route 6 East and I-95 until he was stopped and arrested by Massachusetts State Police.
As a result of that incident, Pinto was due in court Monday on several charges, including felony assault and battery.
Court records show Pinto had a criminal history, including an animal cruelty case last summer.
During Friday’s pursuit, police said Pinto’s teenage daughter was in the vehicle at the time and suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. She was taken to the hospital for treatment, as was the nurse, who police said was also injured.
As per protocol, the incident is being investigated by the Rhode Island State Police and R.I. Attorney General’s Office, along with Providence and Burrillville police. All three officers who fired their weapons were placed on administrative leave.