Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza PHOTO: GoLocalThursday night’s gunfight on Carolina Avenue left a blood trail from the worst shooting in Providence history to the emergency room at Rhode Island Hospital.
“The shooting involved two gangs, one pulled up and opened up and the other crew had their guns on the porch and returned fire,” said Providence Police Chief High Clements.
“All [were] players we have arrested in the past and to date, none of them have been cooperative,” said Clements.
Dozens of bullet casings could be seen spewed across Carolina Avenue.
Providence Police tell GoLocal that this is just another incident in an endless series of violent incidents centered around the two gangs.
Killing of Rudolph Marfeo in 1968 tied to Patriarca crime familyClements confirmed to GoLocal on Thursday night that this was the worst shooting in the city's history -- worse than during the gang and drug violence in the early 1990s or the bloody gangland shootings tied to the Patriarca crime family in the 1950s.
Providence Mayor Elorza’s Response
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza arrived on-site sometime after the incident.
"My heart breaks for the families and innocent bystanders caught in the terrible violence that struck the neighborhood around Carolina Ave. this evening," he later Tweeted close to midnight. "This violence must stop."
Elorza has been seen as a non-supportive of the Providence Police.
In September, Providence City Councilman Nicholas Narducci Jr. criticized Elorza’s hiring of a consulting firm that is reviewing the Providence public safety functions, specifically, the Providence Police Department. Narducci says that if a review should be undertaken all city functions should be reviewed.
He said Elorza's motivation was political -- Elorza is term-limited and expected to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022.
“I am disappointed that Mayor Elorza has only elected to review the budget of one department out of nearly fifty under the City’s purview. Why and what will this accomplish? We know that the Providence Police Department is not funded at capacity and that even if it were; we don’t have enough officers to be in each of our neighborhoods to deal with the quality of life issues that so many people call their Councilor’s about; like ATVs and motorbikes, fireworks, and other nuisance issues,” said Narducci.
According to City of Providence records, the home at 87 Carolina Avenue, the site of the shooting, is owned by David Carides, as recorded by the city's tax assessor.
In Providence, this is just the latest in a series of shootings. But, there is also a national trend.
