POLICE NEWS

Police cite ‘positive leads’ in probe of shooting

By DANIEL A. KITTREDGE
Posted 7/28/21

By DANIEL KITTREDGE Police to continue to investigate shooting on Harris Avenue late last week that left two people with gunshot wounds. Maj. Todd Patalano on Tuesday said detectives are "working on several positive leads" related to the case. "We have a

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
POLICE NEWS

Police cite ‘positive leads’ in probe of shooting

Posted

Police to continue to investigate shooting on Harris Avenue late last week that left two people with gunshot wounds.

Maj. Todd Patalano on Tuesday said detectives are “working on several positive leads” related to the case.

“We have a lot of evidence that detectives are going through at this time, including surveillance of the actual crime,” he said.

While no suspect has been publicly identified, Patalano did confirm that investigations do not believe the incident is connected to the September 2020 murder of a 24-year-old Providence man on the same street.

“It appears to be separate and distinct … We don’t have any indication to link the two at this time,” he said.

In a formal statement last week, police said the latest shooting incident occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on July 22. Officers responded to 48 Harris Ave. following reports of gunshots.

At the scene, officers found two people – a 40-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman – had been shot. The victims had been outside at a party with their daughter, 16, and son, 25, when “the suspect approached on foot with a handgun and began firing several rounds in their direction,” the statement reads.

The 25-year-old son of the victims was armed with a handgun, police say, and “began firing at the suspect as he ran from the scene down Harris Avenue before turning north on Cranston Street.”

“The suspect continued to fire his gun indiscriminately as he ran down Cranston Street, striking a parked vehicle causing the rear window to shatter,” the statement reads.

Neither victim’s injuries were life threatening, police say. Both were transported to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment and later released.

Police describe the suspect as male with a thin build, standing approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall. The suspect is said to have worn a dark sweatshirt, light shorts, white sneakers and a black facemask.

Investigators are also seeking a dark gray or black Acura that might have been involved in the incident.

“The motive for this crime continues to be part of the investigation, and the shooting does not appear to be random,” the statement reads.

“All resources at our department are focused on identifying and

apprehending the person responsible for this cowardly and dangerous act of firing multiple rounds in a congested neighborhood on a tranquil summer evening,” Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist said in the statement. “It is a miracle that none of the many shots that were fired resulted in a fatality. As we continue our investigation and develop leads in the case, it appears that this was a targeted and isolated incident, and our residents should be assured they are safe.”

police, shooting

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here