Police tried to prevent Hopkinton murder-suicide suspect from buying guns

by: Sarah Doiron

HOPKINTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Hopkinton police tried twice to prevent Joseph Francis from buying a gun due to his lengthy criminal history — years before he killed his estranged wife and himself, 12 News has learned.

ORIGINAL NOTE: https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/south-county/police-tried-to-prevent-hopkinton-murder-suicide-suspect-from-buying-guns/

Hopkinton Police Chief Mark Carrier confirmed Friday that the department denied the 45-year-old’s firearms applications in 2020 and 2021. The revelation was first reported by The Boston Globe.

Francis was out on bail when he shot and killed his wife, 44-year-old Stephanie Francis, in front of their two young children and a neighbor’s child over the weekend, according to Carrier.

Officers rushed to their Stubtown Road home after one of the children called for help. Joseph took off, prompting an extensive statewide search that ended in a crash off of Nooseneck Hill Road.

Officers eventually found him dead in the driver’s seat of his heavily-damaged vehicle.

Joseph had been arrested a couple months prior on domestic violence charges, according to the chief.

Officers confiscated Joseph’s firearms and high-capacity magazines. He was eventually released on personal recognizance and ordered not to contact Stephanie under any circumstances, and although the judge ordered him to hand over his weapons, Carrier said no additional firearms were turned in.

“All of the safeguards were in place,” Carrier told 12 News earlier this week. “But unfortunately, he chose to go there that night and do harm.”

Hopkinton police were able to flag Joseph as dangerous thanks to a state law enacted nearly four years ago. It requires police chiefs to conduct extensive background checks on residents who are looking to purchase firearms, no matter where in the state the application was submitted.

The law was spurred by a deadly shooting in Westerly, in which the suspect bought guns in a neighboring jurisdiction where police were unaware of his mental instability.

Carrier knew Joseph’s criminal history, which is why he denied his firearms applications until he was legally no longer allowed to do so.

Johnston police confirmed that, in 2016, Joseph had applied for a concealed carry permit. Police rejected his application, however, upon learning that he’d lied about his criminal history while filling it out.