PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Nine people were wounded during a shooting Thursday evening in Providence, with three people in critical condition, Rhode Island police said.
The shooting occurred at about 6:47 p.m. EDT, Providence Police Chief Col. Hugh T. Clement told reporters at the scene.
Update 9:55 p.m. EDT May 13: Providence police said they will be releasing more information about the shooting Friday at a news conference, WJAR reported.
Update 9:41 p.m. EDT May 13: Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements said the incident was the largest shooting in the city’s history. He called the incident “disappointing.”
“We have taken a lot of guns off the streets this year, almost double the amount as last year,” Clements told reporters at a news conference. “We don’t shy away from the fact that we have a gun issue in this city. It’s unfortunate that young men in this community have no regard for life at times.
“They fire the guns willingly at each other, and this is the case here.”
Mayor Jorge Elorza said he spoke to several neighbors as officers continued their investigation.
“Everyone is shaken,” Eloza told WPRI. “I’ve lived through it as well with shootings outside my house and it’s unnerving. You clutch your family a little bit tighter that night.”
Original report: The victims are all between 19 and 25, Providence Police Commander Thomas Verdi told WPRI. No arrests have been made.
Verdi added that the shooting was targeted and the people involved knew each other, the television station reported.
Providence police standing by as a black Jeep is towed from the ambulance loading area at RIH emergency room. Appears to be a bullet hole in the driver's side window. Possibly 2 or 3 more holes on the passenger side as well. @wpri12 pic.twitter.com/neomkbCEmu
— Corey Welch (@CoreyWelch) May 14, 2021
During a news conference Thursday night, Clements said there had been “a large amount of gunfire” at a home on Carolina Avenue. He added that there were “eight or nine victims,” with three people injured “very seriously.”
Clements said multiple guns were used and it involved an “ongoing feud” involving groups known to authorities. He said the shooting began with gunfire coming from a vehicle, targeting a home. A person or people inside the home returned fire, Clements said.
“We have a good handle on everyone that is involved in this incident,” Verdi told WPRI. “The assailant group pulled up in a car, and the other group was at a home … They’re well known to Providence Police.”
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