One year later: the deadly shooting on I-95
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Today marks exactly 1 year since the shooting on 95 in Providence that left 1 man dead and his passenger critically injured. It was all sparked when a suspect being transferred to court managed to steal a state police cruiser.
That suspect, Donald Morgan, is currently serving his 3 and a half year prison sentence. Police thought he was in the white pickup truck they chased down 95, ultimately shooting and killing another man and hurting his passenger.
It’s been 1 year since chaos unfolded on the side of 95. Police used deadly force after a high speed chase as they looked for Morgan. Morgan managed to drive off in a state police cruiser while the officer he was with was checking on an unrelated accident on 146.
“You have to understand when we come across an accident on the highway, it’s our duty to check on the well being of those people,” said Colonel Ann Assumpico on the day of the shooting.
The cruiser Morgan was in did not have a partition between the front and back seats. Since then, 45 state police cruisers have been retrofitted with barriers and 60 more will be done in the next few months.
Morgan ditched the cruiser in south Providence and police got word he jumped in the back of a white pickup truck. DOT cameras captured the chase that ended by the Providence Place Mall.
“When there’s an imminent threat with a weapon, by way of that vehicle, judgments and decisions have to be made,” said Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare the next day.
It turns out Morgan wasn’t in the car but the driver, Joseph Santos, did not stop, driving the truck directly at police officers. Five Providence police and 4 state police officers fired 40 rounds in all.
“That footage shows the acts of the officers as doing exactly what we would want them to do,” said Colonel Hugh Clements after he released body camera footage of the incident.
Santos died from a gunshot wound to the neck and his passenger Christine Demers was seriously hurt.
It wasn’t until the next night when police found Morgan hiding at a house in Cumberland and we later learned Santos and Morgan knew each other.
“They were best friends, him and Donny were friends,” Priscilla Almeida, a woman claiming to be Morgan’s ex-girlfriend said outside of court.
In addition to jail time, Morgan will also have to pay $4,500 for the damage done to the state cruiser.
A Grand Jury found the shooting was justified.
© WLNE/ABC6 2018
