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Police said they’ll release the person’s name and booking photo following the person’s arraignment. Arraignment information wasn’t immediately available. “We would like to thank all of the detectives and officers who worked tirelessly into the early hours of the morning to collect evidence, review camera footage, and obtain witness statements, all of which led to the swift apprehension of the suspect,“ police said. ”Teamwork and prompt communication were vital in ensuring this rapid outcome.” Police said that community members provided “valuable footage and information that supported our investigation.” Flanagan, a three-term mayor who lost a recall election in 2014, was found with stab wounds on Hartwell Street, police and Mayor Paul Coogan said in a statement. 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. Police Chief Kelly Furtado said patrol officers and detectives were “working diligently to identify and apprehend who is responsible for this senseless act of violence.” “My thoughts and prayers are with Former Mayor Will Flanagan, his family, and friends,” Coogan said Monday. Flanagan was first elected in November 2009 and was mayor 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. Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
