Fall River police this week released body camera footage and the findings of investigations into a February 8, 2026, shooting on Linden Street in which officers killed 40-year-old Nigel Vaughn after, investigators say, he shot two officers. The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and State Police found the officers’ use of deadly force justified, according to the Fall River Reporter and 7News.
Both wounded officers were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, 7News reported. The officers have not been publicly named.
What investigators found
According to the police department’s account, as reported by the Fall River Reporter, and Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III, as reported by 7News:
- Officers had two encounters with Vaughn late on February 7 and early February 8, in extreme cold after a snowstorm. The first followed a 911 call about erratic driving and an altercation near a gas station on Linden Street. About an hour later, officers returned to the same area on a second 911 call reporting a man with a firearm.
- Vaughn resisted a pat frisk, and a struggle followed. While on the ground, he produced a gun and fired, striking one officer in the elbow and another in the abdomen. The round that hit the second officer struck his bullet-resistant vest, the Fall River Reporter said.
- Officers returned fire. Vaughn was pronounced dead at a hospital.
- Investigators recovered a Glock next to him fitted with an aftermarket “switch” that allowed fully automatic fire, the Fall River Reporter reported. 7News described it as an illegal device that let the gun fire multiple rounds.
- Vaughn was a convicted felon who was barred from possessing a gun. He was sentenced in 2007 to 18 to 20 years in state prison for shooting three people at a Fall River bar in 2005, all of whom survived, the Fall River Reporter reported.
Three reviews, one conclusion
State Police detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office and the DA’s office investigated whether the use of force was lawful and concluded it was justified. Separately, the department’s Shooting Investigation Team did an administrative review and found the officers acted within department policy and the state’s use of force regulations, 555 CMR 6.00. The department’s Shooting Review Board agreed unanimously, according to the Fall River Reporter.
The department said Vaughn’s firing at officers “created an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury,” and that the officers’ response met legal and policy standards under the circumstances known to them at the time, the Fall River Reporter reported. It also extended condolences to Vaughn’s family.
The legal standard
Since the 2020 police reform law, Massachusetts has had a statutory deadly force standard. G.L. c. 6E, § 14(b), which we read at malegislature.gov, says an officer “shall not use deadly force upon a person unless de-escalation tactics have been attempted and failed or are not feasible based on the totality of the circumstances and such force is necessary to prevent imminent harm to a person and the amount of force used is proportionate to the threat of imminent harm.”
That breaks into three questions, and the reported facts here line up with each:
| Element of § 14(b) | What investigators reported |
|---|---|
| De-escalation attempted and failed, or not feasible | The encounter began as a pat frisk and turned into a struggle; Vaughn fired from the ground |
| Necessary to prevent imminent harm | Two officers had just been shot |
| Proportionate to the threat | The department called the gunfire “an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury” |
The DA’s finding means no criminal charges against the officers. It is not a court ruling.
The same statute will govern the review of the October police shooting in Stoughton, where no findings have been released. How the deadly force law applies to the Stoughton shooting.
The footage
Fall River said it released the footage “in the interest of transparency,” according to the Fall River Reporter, nine months after the shooting and after the reviews were complete.
Frequently asked questions
When can Massachusetts police use deadly force?
Under G.L. c. 6E, § 14(b), only when de-escalation has failed or is not feasible, the force is necessary to prevent imminent harm to a person, and it is proportionate to the threat.
Who decides whether a police shooting was justified?
The district attorney decides whether criminal charges are warranted, usually after an investigation by State Police detectives assigned to the DA’s office. The department may also do its own administrative review, as Fall River did.
What is a gun “switch”?
An aftermarket device that converts a semi-automatic pistol to fire automatically. Investigators said one was on the Glock found next to Vaughn.
Sources: Fall River Police Department findings and body camera release, as reported by the Fall River Reporter, November 2026; Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III, as reported by 7News, November 5, 2026. G.L. c. 6E, § 14, read at malegislature.gov. General information, not legal advice.