SWANSEA, Mass. — The driver who crashed his car in a Massachusetts town early Friday morning, killing two people, allegedly murdered a man in Rhode Island just hours earlier, authorities said.
Officers responding to a report of a shooting at a home at 289 Legion Way in Cranston, Rhode Island, just after 8:30 p.m. Thursday, found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Cranston Police Colonel Michael J. Winquist announced at a Friday news conference.
The victim, identified by Winquist as 35-year-old Javon Lawson, was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect in the shooting, later identified as 28-year-old Demitri Sousa, of Seekonk, Massachusetts, was caught on surveillance video fleeing the scene in a white 2013 Infinity G37, according to Winquist.
“Through witness interviews and further investigation, Mr. Sousa was developed as the primary suspect in this murder,” Winquist said. “Investigators learned of a prior dispute between Mr. Sousa and Mr. Lawson involving a mutual female acquaintance.”
Officers on patrol in the area of Route 6 in Swansea, Massachusetts, later spotted Sousa’s G37 traveling west at a “very high rate of speed” just after 12:15 a.m. Friday, according to the Swansea Police Department.
Moments later, Swansea police say Sousa crashed into the side of a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling south on Route 136.
“Both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage, and first responders attempted rescue efforts,” Swansea officials said in a statement. “The vehicle that was struck was fully engulfed in flames.”
First responders and bystanders attempted to extinguish the fire, but two people in the Ascent, a man and a woman, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names haven’t been released.
Sousa was taken into custody around 12:45 a.m. and transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, where he remains under police guard. He is expected to survive.
Officers recovered a .22-caliber revolver believed to be the firearm used in the Cranston shooting in Sousa’s car, as well as ammunition, according to Winquist.
Swansea police say they had been alerted to be on the lookout for the vehicle before the crash, noting that Sousa wasn’t being chased at the time.
Sousa faces charges, including murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, Winquist said.
He’ll face a judge when he’s medically cleared to do so.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said. “These were senseless acts of violence that have left families grieving and a community shaken.”
The Massachusetts State Police and troopers assigned to the Bristol District Attorney’s Office are assisting Swansea police with the crash investigation. Cranston police continue to investigate the shooting.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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