Black firefighter, 23, says he was racially profiled by cops who turned their guns on him while he was in UNIFORM outside his own fire station amid protests in Rhode Island

A black firefighter in Providence, Rhode Island, says he was racially profiled by two cops who approached him with their guns drawn while he sat outside his own fire station last week.  

Terrell Paci, 23, fought back tears as he recounted the incident in an interview with NBC 10 News during a protest rally against police brutality and racism. 

He said he was on duty, in uniform and sitting in his friend's car outside the Messer Street fire station on Wednesday night when the officers approached and demanded to know if he was armed.  

'I was dressed in full uniform and had my radio in hand,' Paci said.  

'I was like: "I'm a firefighter, I'm PFD, I'm one of you - don't shoot," and they still kept approaching the vehicle with guns drawn.

'And then the white cop asked if I had a gun after just identifying me as a Providence firefighter. I said: "I am not allowed to have a weapon on the job, why would I have a weapon?"' 

+4

Paci fought back tears as he recounted the incident during a protest rally on Friday 

Sinclair Privacy Policy

The officers allegedly claimed Paci matched the description of a suspect who was seen waving a gun nearby. 

'The white cop then asked to search the car. He asked the driver and the driver consented,' the firefighter said.  

'He then went to my side, the passenger's side, and searched. He never searched her side, never searched her purse, never searched her glove box, never searched her registration and insurance, then moved onto the back. 

'He said: "There is too much stuff in the back, I do not want to inconvenience you and take up your time." But you already took up my time.'

Hours later a Providence police sergeant visited the fire station and apologized to Paci after viewing body camera footage. 

The exchange occurred after a 9pm curfew that had been enacted in the aftermath of violent confrontations between police and vandals who targeted a downtown mall two nights earlier.  

Paci's retelling sparked outrage in the community as several of his colleagues and local leaders condemned the actions of the police officers.  

+4

Paci's retelling sparked outrage in the community as several of his colleagues and local leaders condemned the actions of the police officers 

+4

Protesters are seen confronting officers during the protest against police brutality and racism

'Why is a young black male in uniform at his job a threat to a police officer? And when they noticed, why didn't they fall back and correct the situation there?' fellow firefighter Chris Bernal asked.

Mayor Jorge Elorza called the incident 'deeply disturbing' and said the city has launched an investigation.  

'No one should have to experience something like this and we apologize on behalf of our city for the trauma it has caused,' the Democratic mayor said in a statement. 

'We stand with Firefighter Paci and thank him for his unwavering dedication to a city that he protects everyday through his service.'

Police spokeswoman Lindsay Lague said the department would investigate and video of the exchange would not be released until the investigation was completed.

In a statement issued late Saturday, Vice President Mike Pattie of the Providence Fraternal Order of Police insisted the incident did not involve racial profiling and defended the officers involved. 

Pattie said police were searching for two suspects who held up an individual by gunpoint and knifepoint, and the car Paci and his friend were sitting in matched the description of the vehicle in which the suspects fled. 

'At no time did the officers display any act that could be construed as racial profiling, they were simply responding to and investigating an incident based on the information given them from an on-scene complainant,' Pattie said.

'To have someone embellish what took place to grab a headline, especially in a time of turmoil, is the exact toxic nature of which we all are trying to move away from. 

'It is sad and disgusting that a Providence firefighter would distort the truth about our police officers, and that his opportunistic union president would recklessly publicize these mistruths in an environment when police are under attack. 

'The only injustice here is that by the firefighter in question and his union president.'

+4

The Providence Fraternal Order of Police defended the officers who confronted Paci and said they did not engage in racial profiling. Police officers and National Guardsmen are seen patrolling a protest on June 5

Derek Silva, president of the Providence Firefighters Union, said on Twitter that 'this situation makes clear that even in uniform, a young black man is not immune form the impact of systemic, institutional racism'.

'While we value our working relationship with the Providence police, and know that there are many officers working to change police culture, this incident proves that there is more work to be done,' Silva tweeted.

Paci said that the incident should serve as a wake-up call for people of color everywhere.  

'It can happen to anyone. I didn't think I could be at work as a firefighter and have two cops pull guns on me while sitting outside doing my job, waiting for the bell to ring. It should have never happened,' he said. 

'All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. And we can't do nothing.'