Providence police search for person of interest in city’s 6th homicide of the year

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Providence police said a 19-year-old man was shot and killed at a summer gathering Saturday night, marking the city’s sixth homicide of the year.

Police were called to a report of shots fired on Valley Street by Donigan Park in the Olneyville section of the city.

Officers said 19-year-old Juan Carlos Morales died on scene from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Chief Oscar Perez said Morales was partying with a group of young men and that alcohol was involved. Investigators believe Morales walked away with one of the men toward the concession stand when the shooting happened.

Candles are displayed in honor of a man who was shot and killed in Providence, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (WLNE)

That person fled the park before officers arrived. He has yet to be arrested.

Perez said all the men involved knew each other and there is no threat to the public. He said Morales was targeted and the shooting may have happened after an argument.

Police did not recover a weapon at the scene.

Morales lived in Providence and was originally from Guatemala.