Cranston Man Arrested after Firing Blanks in Garden City Apartment, Fleeing

CRANSTON, RI—A man who allegedly fired multiple blank rounds inside his Garden City apartment Tuesday night was arraigned in court Wednesday on charges of disorderly conduct, firing in a compact area and resisting arrest after an incident that Cranston's police chief said could have ended in tragedy, but didn't thanks to the responding officers' restraint and training.

Kevin M. Bushee, 46, of 57 Garden Drive, tried to flee his apartment out a back entrance as officers forced their way in. Police had responded after the first call at 8:56 p.m. reporting shots fired and soon found themselves engaged in a struggle with Bushee knowing only that they had seen shell casings on the floor inside before apprehending him outside.

Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael J. Winquist Jr. said in an interview that a neighbor heard two or three shots coming from an apartment. Patrol officers were able to narrow it down to Bushee's unit, No. 11, and "due to exigent circumstances," Winquist said, officers forced entry.

After Bushee was apprehended, police got a warrant to search his apartment based on the observed shell casings on the ground. Investigators eventually found a 9mm blank firing gun with a locked barrel that can't fire projectiles and was reportedly "bought online allegedly to scare off any potential intruders," Winquist said. They also found some ammunition for the blank gun.

Bushee appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and "suffering from some type of mental stress," Winquist said. He was transported to the hospital for evaluation where he was treated until Wednesday when he was brought back into police custody pending his arraignment.

Winquist commended his officers for their restraint to resolve the incident safely. He said that "with everything going on in this country where officers have shot and killed, they acted bravely and swiftly to investigate a potential shooting and place the person responsible in custody, safely."

Winquist said that the officers followed their training and keen observational skills helped them navigate the high-stress situation.

"They did a great job all around," the chief said.