SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) — Authorities have identified the man who was killed in an officer-involved shooting early Sunday morning.
The Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn confirmed Jeffrey Groulx, 47, of New Hampshire, was the man who opened fire on two officers responding to a crash in Seekonk.
Quinn said Groulx had ties to Boston, which could possibly explain why he was in the area.
The investigation began when officers were called to Route 6 just before 7 a.m. Sunday after the department was notified that a local business on Route 6 had been broken into.
After confirming the break in, Quinn said the officers found the suspect, later identified as Groulx, inside his car in the parking lot of another nearby business.
Quinn said Groulx sped off once he spotted the officers, but ultimately crashed his car at the intersection of Route 6 and School Street.
Immediately following the crash, Quinn said Groulx opened fire on the officers with an AK-47. The officers then returned fire before calling in the regional SWAT team for backup, according to Quinn.
After the SWAT team determined Groulx was no longer a threat, Quinn said first responders cut open the roof of Groulx’s vehicle and found him dead in the driver’s seat.
The Medical Examiner has determined Groulx was shot three times, one of which was fatal, according Quinn. It wasn’t specified whether Groulx was shot during the exchange in gunfire or if his injuries were self inflicted.
Quinn described the entire ordeal as “very disturbing.”
“It does seem that there [have been] more and more violent encounters with police,” he said. “It just highlights the dangerous situations police come upon.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
