(RepublicanView.org) – A Rhode Island man recently died while being pursued by police. Joseph Francis was suspected of shooting his wife and was on the run from the law when officers spotted him in traffic and gave chase. Westerly police joined forces with Richmond and Charlestown to pursue Francis and tracked the suspect for miles until his vehicle failed to make a turn and spun out of control. Officers said they found him dead in his car.
Rhode Island State Police explained that a court issued a warrant for Francis’s arrest on July 5 after his wife was found with a fatal gunshot wound at her home in Hopkinton.
In May, police charged Francis with domestic violence offenses, including disorderly conduct and domestic simple assault, and his wife was granted a no-contact order. He was also charged with violating state law against possessing high-capacity magazines.
A statement from Rhode Island State Police confirmed the murder of 44-year-old Stephanie Francis and immediately named her husband as prime suspect. It noted that Francis was subject to court-ordered mental health and alcohol monitoring and was due for screening in September.
On the day of his death, all law enforcement agencies in the Ocean State were alerted to the arrest warrant, as well as details about the suspect’s vehicle. Westerly police first spotted him at around 11 am on July 6, but Francis managed to evade them. Around half an hour later, he was seen in Charleston, where officers from the Richmond and Charlestown Police Departments picked up the chase again.
When the pursuit ended, the Rhode Island State Police Tactical Team examined the scene and declared it safe for officers to investigate. Francis was then found dead in his car, but police did not say whether he died from crash-related injuries or took his own life.
Hopkinton Police Chief Mark Carrier said the couple’s two children were present when their mother was fatally shot.
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