The Mashpee Police Department has released its findings on an internal investigation of the July 28 crash that resulted in three fatalities.
In that crash, a car driven by Mickey Rivera, 22, of Fall River, was being pursued by Mashpee Police officers. Rivera reached speeds of 90 to 100 mph on Route 28 near the Mashpee-Barnstable town lines near Route 130, losing control and crashing head-on into a car driven by Kevin Quinn who was returning to his Mashpee home after visiting his wife and newborn daughter at Cape Cod Hospital. The crash killed Quinn, Rivera, and Rivera’s passenger, Jocelyn Goyette of New Bedford.
Mashpee Police Chief, Scott Carline, in detailing the findings in the investigation, concluded that the pursuit by his officers should have been terminated. Carline added, quote: “It is extremely important to me as Chief of Police that we conduct ourselves professionally and with transparency with this sensitive investigation while still holding ourselves accountable for our actions. The decision making process for police officers in these often difficult situations is done in real time within seconds by human beings trying to do the right thing and trying to do their jobs in an effort to ensure this type of police violation does not occur in the future.”