Jury finds Providence man guilty of felony assault and firearms charges from 2022 shooting
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Providence man has been found guilty by a Providence County Superior Court jury of felony assault and firearms charges for shooting a 32-year-old male victim in 2022.
On May 29, 2024, following the conclusion of a four-day jury trial before Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers, the jury found Jashua Adames Torres (age 23) guilty of one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, one count of carrying a pistol without a license, and one count of firing in a compact area.
The defendant is currently being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) pending a sentencing hearing to be scheduled for a later date.
“In this case we find ourselves yet again at the all-too frequently reoccurring intersection of the availability of firearms and those who seek to use them to destructive ends,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Until we, collectively as a society, get serious about gun safety policy, instances of gun violence in our communities will persist, despite the best efforts of law enforcement and nonviolence advocates. I want to thank the Providence Police and our prosecutors for their hard work and collaboration in this case and in so many others.”
During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant shot the victim three times in the lower body following a verbal altercation on Bodell Avenue in Providence.
On July 23, 2022, at 4:36 a.m., Providence Police responded to a report of a shooting in the area of Hartford Avenue and upon arrival, officers found a 32-year-old male victim bleeding profusely. Officers rendered medical aid, including applying a tourniquet to the victim’s leg, before being transported to Rhode Island Hospital.
The victim told officers that he was the target of an attempted robbery by unknown assailants but provided no further details. Police observed a trail of blood leading back to Bodell Avenue where the officers located four male subjects, including the defendant. The subjects spoke with officers and indicated a verbal altercation took place, but refused to cooperate further.
Later that morning, Providence Police obtained surveillance video from Providence Public Housing, which provided a vantage point of the crime scene. On the video, the defendant and the victim are seen engaged in a verbal altercation before the defendant produces a firearm, points it at the victim, and fires, as evidenced by several visible muzzle flashes.
Following their review of the surveillance footage, coupled with the body-worn camera footage of responding officers who interacted with the defendant on scene, an arrest warrant was issued for the defendant and he was arrested one day later, on July 24, 2022.
“I want to thank the men and women of the Providence Police Department for their tireless efforts to bring violent criminal offenders to justice,” said Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez. “Violence in our community, especially those involving a firearm, will continue to be a priority to our officers. I applaud the investigators and prosecutors involved in working this case.”
Special Assistant Attorneys General Michael S. McCabe and Jonathan E. Burke of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Raymond Majeau of the Providence Police led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
