R.I. man sentenced to 20 years for 2023 ‘gang-related' Providence shootings, prosecutors say

Boston Globe

02-05-2025

According to prosecutors, Sanchez pleaded nolo contendere in February to numerous charges, including four counts of felony assault.
A plea of nolo contendere means the defendant neither accepts nor denies responsibility for the charges, but agrees to accept punishment.
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'The court also sentenced the defendant under the Criminal Street Gang enhancement, finding that his acts were in furtherance of the Chad Brown street gang,' prosecutors said.
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Co-defendant Isaiah Isom, 20, was sentenced by Keough in February to serve 12 years in prison and 22 years of probation for his role in one of the shootings, according to officials.
Prosecutors said they were prepared to prove at trial that Sanchez was involved in two shootings on March 12 and March 16, 2023, 'while possessing narcotics with intent to distribute.'
Providence police responded to the first shooting at 10:44 a.m. that day, after receiving reports of shots fired on Jenkins Street. According to witness testimony, Sanchez shot at three people, including the 9-year-old boy, officials said.
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Surveillance video footage from the Chad Brown Housing Complex showed Sanchez taking a phone call in the parking lot before the shooting, and then leaving in a black Hyundai, prosecutors said.
'The same black Hyundai returned to the area minutes after police received reports of the shooting, and the footage shows the defendant walking away from the vehicle,' officials said.
Investigators later confirmed Sanchez's movements based on his cell phone data, and also confirmed he was renting the black Hyundai at that time, according to prosecutors.
'This shooting was connected to the violent feud between East Side and Chad Brown gangs and was an act of retaliation for another shooting that occurred the night before.' prosecutors said.
On March 16, 2023, police responded to another report of shots fired at the intersection of North Main and Olney streets, officials said.
'Officers first located an unintended victim whose vehicle had sustained ballistic damage,' prosecutors said. 'The victim reported that a white SUV was driving south in the northbound lane of North Main Street, firing shots at a blue SUV driving south. Officers located three expended .40 caliber cartridge casings in the roadway.'
On April 11, Providence police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives arrested Sanchez at his apartment, where authorities found 'multiple firearms, ammunition, currency, marijuana, cocaine, pills, and other drug paraphernalia,' officials said. The seizure included 60.99 grams of cocaine, 837.09 grams of marijuana, and four pills of Hydrocodone.
Investigators also uncovered text messages between Sanchez and Isom showing the two men shared news articles with each other about the March 16 shooting and 'discussed their roles' in the incident, prosecutors said.
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'On more than one occasion, [Sanchez] demonstrated that he is a very real threat to public safety,' Neronha said in a statement. 'It is absolutely essential that we hold accountable those who commit serious gang and gun-related crimes, and endanger the lives of others in the process, as was the case here.'
Christopher Gavin can be reached at