FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — The Fall River Police Department released a response to a lawsuit against itself and the city from the estate of Anthony Harden, a man who was killed in a police shooting in 2021. The department said that the actions of officers involved in the incident in November 2021 were justified based on Harden’s “attack” on the officers. The department also said that Harden had a “troubling history” of domestic violence and run-ins with police, listing incidents that occurred in 2013 and 2019 that were similar to the domestic call that police responded to that resulted in his death. Officers responded to a home on Melville Street on Nov. 22, 2021, after receiving a call about a domestic incident that a woman who said she was Harden’s girlfriend had been the victim of. Police said that a fight broke out between Harden and the officers and that Harden was then shot and killed. “Attorney [Eric] Mack has gone on a media campaign attempting to slander the brave men and women of our agency and discredit the investigation conducted by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office,” the department said. “Attorney Mack has made serious allegations of wrongdoing by the Fall River Police Department. That is the right of every citizen, and the court will decide where the truth lies. We are confident that the officers acted not only bravely but appropriately given the circumstances.” An independent review found that the use of lethal force by officers was justified. Harden’s family previously sued to have Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn fired, while his brother also filed a lawsuit to have the evidence around the incident released. Categories: Fall River, Massachusetts, News