In Less Than 48 Hours in Providence, 11 Shot, Man Dead, and Another Pawtucket Murder May Be Related

Sunday, May 16, 2021

GoLocalProv News Team

 

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11 shot and 2 murders in less than 48 hours MAP: Google Maps

In less than 48 hours, gun violence has swept across the city in Providence. The violence has left more than 50 bullet casings on the ground in three neighborhoods and in Pawtucket.

One of the drive-by shootings took place in the mid-afternoon directly in front of a playground -- the Billy Taylor Park on the corner of Camp and Cypress Streets in the Mount Hope section of Providence. The park includes toddler play equipment and two basketball courts.

And, police tell GoLocal that a murder in Pawtucket, which took place after 1 PM on Saturday, may have sparked the drive-by shooting on Camp Street that occurred at about 3 PM.

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Between 6 PM Thursday night and about 3 PM on Saturday gun violence hit three different Providence neighborhoods and a section of Pawtucket.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza held a press conference after the first mass shooting and he has refused to give comment after the murder or the other shootings.

Councilor Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3) who represents the Mount Hope section did not respond to request for comment regarding the drive-by shooting on Camp Street.

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Councilor Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3)

LaFortune has been a leading advocate to defund the Providence police. "I am committed to reallocating funds from the Police Department into social services. In terms of the amount, I want to see what the community has stated and also look at the budget to see where the needs exist, because I also want to be strategic about it and think about what areas in our city we need to support," said LaFortune in an interview with UpRiseRI.com in July of 2020. LaFortune is a candidate for mayor of Providence in 2022.

 

Here is what we know about the near non-stop violence:

- Thursday at about 7 PM -- the bloodiest shooting in Providence's history. Nine shot in the Washington Park neighborhood on Carolina Avenue — a street of homeownership.

 

- Friday night -- a man was murdered while sitting in a car on Pope Street in Olneyville at approximately 9 PM.

 

- Saturday afternoon at approximately 1:45 PM -- a man is shot and killed on Randall Street in Pawtucket.

 

- Saturday afternoon at about 3:00 PM -- a drive-by shooting on Camp Street wounds two. Police believe the Pawtucket and Camp Street shootings are related.

 

Police have not released the name of the two men murdered. And, no arrests have been made in any of the four incidents.

 

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Casings on the street on Carolina Avenue on Thursday night

 

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