Couple Shot During Apparent Targeted Attack On Family During Outdoor Party, Armed Son Fires Back

CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND — A couple in their 40’s was wounded after being shot in an apparent targeted walk-by shooting Thursday night.  Police officers were dispatched to Harris Avenue just after 9 p.m. for reported gunshots. Upon arrival, they located a 40-year-old male and a 44-year-old female with gunshot wounds, according to Police Chief Col. Michael Winquist.

Police said the couple was having an outdoor party with their 25-year-old son and 16-year-old when a man “with a thin build, approximately 5-foot-9, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, light-colored shorts, white sneakers, and a black face mask” approached on foot and fired several rounds at the group from a handgun.

The son, also armed with a handgun, returned fire in the direction of the suspect as he fled on Harris Avenue and onto Cranston Street. While fleeing, the suspect continued firing indiscriminately “striking a parked vehicle causing the rear window to shatter.”

The victims were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Rhode Island Hospital and released. Investigators have obtained, and are reviewing, surveillance footage from local homes and businesses. They are also looking for a black or dark gray Acura that may have some involvement in the case.

Police do not believe the shooting is random, but that the family was targeted. “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,” Winquist said.

“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.”