Copyright The Boston Globe
Former Fall River mayor Will Flanagan sustained serious injuries in a stabbing Monday night and police are looking for a suspect, authorities said. Flanagan, who lost a recall election in December 2014, was found with stab wounds in the 100 block of Hartwell Street, according to a joint statement from police and Mayor Paul Coogan. Police Chief Kelly Furtado said patrol officers and detectives responded to the scene and “are working diligently to identify and apprehend who is responsible for this senseless act of violence.” Since leaving office, Flanagan returned to practicing law, and is CEO of Cosmopolitan Dispensary at 82 Hartwell St., near the site of the stabbing, the Fall River Herald News reported. Coogan pledged his office’s full support to the Fall River Police Department “as they work tirelessly to bring justice in this case. Advertisement “My thoughts and prayers are with Former Mayor Will Flanagan, his family, and friends,” Coogan said. “We stand firmly behind Chief Kelly Furtado, and the dedicated men and women of the FRPD as they continue this active investigation.” No other information immediately was available late Monday night. Flanagan was a three-term mayor. He was the city’s youngest mayor when he was first elected in November 2009. He served as the city’s chief executive until a recall forced his ouster in December 2014, according to the Fall River Herald News. His opponents, furious over layoffs in the Fire Department and a pay-as-you-throw trash program, sought his recall, gathering several thousand signatures to force an election. In recent years Flanagan built a side business as a performer in local film productions, including a horror film recently shot in Fall River. He also maintains a colorful social media presence on TikTok and Facebook as a pitchman for the dispensary, where a few hours before the stabbing he recorded himself singing “Blame it on the Rain” during a storm outside Cosmopolitan Dispensary and urging customers to visit, according to the Fall River Herald News. Advertisement Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
