(Updated) Fire Capt. Richard Rife turned himself in Thursday on charges that he displayed a gun during an argument while on-duty at a Fair Haven fire station.
A judge signed an arrest warrant Thursday morning charging Rife with reckless endangerment in the first degree, according to police spokesman Officer Dave Hartman.
Rife, 47, of North Haven, turned himself in at 11:45 a.m. to police headquarters, according to Hartman. He was charged and released on a written promise to appear in court.
The charge stems from an incident on Monday at 4:30 p.m. at the Lombard Street firehouse. Rife allegedly brought a gun to the firehouse and displayed it to Acting Fire Captain Frank Ricci during an argument. Ricci told police that Rife “pulled a handgun from a holster and displayed it to him and two other Firefighters present” during an argument at the firehouse.
Rife was not charged with threatening, an indication that he did not explicitly threaten violence.
Rife, who has 25 years on the job, was on-duty at the time, which will expose him to the possibility of internal charges. The fire department has launched an internal investigation, according to city spokeswoman Anna Mariotti.
Rife was placed on administrative leave Monday evening, she said.
How does one "display a weapon" during an argument and not constitute a threat of violence? That seems contradictory.