« Bust of crack cocaine ring yields 17 arrests so far | Today | Report: A forecast without lobster, snow or beaches »

July 11, 2007

Block Island shootings suspect to undergo 2nd exam

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- A Washington County Superior Court judge today ordered another competency review for the man accused of shooting at police last summer on Block Island.

Ernesto A. Lacayo, 20, of Fairfield, Conn., was declared unfit to stand trial shortly after his arrest more than a year ago.

He was discharged from Eleanor Slater Hospital, where he was treated for bipolar disorder, in April after state psychiatrists found he was competent, court records show. He has been held since at the intake center at Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, said Kenneth Findlay, acting ACI spokeswoman.

Judge Stephen Nugent today ordered another examination of his mental state at the request of his lawyer, Anthony M. Traini.

Nugent continued bail at $400,000 cash. His next court date is Aug. 15.

The police say a state trooper spotted Lacayo walking into the Block Island police station with a shotgun around 7:45 p.m. on June 25 of last year. Lacayo allegedly aimed the gun at the officer and ran to his car, beginning a 15-mph pursuit down Beach Avenue and onto Corn Neck Road.

He fired three shots at the trooper before running into the dunes near Scotch Beach, the police said. As he crouched in the dunes, reports say, he fired two more shots at two Block Island officers with a Remington Express magnum 12-gauge shotgun.

-- Journal Staff Writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 4:44 PM | Permalink

Comments

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)