Alabama man sentenced to life in fatal Providence parking lot shooting

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — An Alabama man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of  charges stemming from a fatal 2024 Walmart parking lot shooting.

Shawn Slaughter, 57, was sentenced to life in prison on a charge of discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in death, and ten years for a charge of second-degree murder. 

He will serve his sentence in a prison closer to his Alabama home according to the judge’s ruling.

The incident occurred at the Silver Spring Street Providence Walmart parking lot on July 27, 2024 when police say Slaughter shot and killed Eric Campbell, 51, who was also from Alabama.

Providence police officers said that they discovered Campbell in a box truck suffering from a gunshot upon arriving at the scene at approximately 1 a.m.

He was transported to Rhode Island Hospital and was pronounced deceased shortly after his arrival.

Slaughter was still at the scene of the shooting when police arrived and was arrested without incident.

Slaughter and Campbell knew each other, and were both at the Walmart to “work on the floors” when the shooting occurred.

An earlier version of this story said that Slaughter was sentenced to 10 years in prison for second-degree murder. While that is correct, he was also sentenced to life in prison on the separate gun charge. This story has been updated to reflect that sentence.