In the early hours of January 16, 2022, a night out in Providence, Rhode Island, turned fatal for 35-year-old Biniam Tsegai. The male victim, a resident of Portland, Maine, was shot and killed outside an illegal after-hours club at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Potters Avenue. The incident, which marked the city's first homicide of the year, also left a second man, 28-year-old Merhawi Berhe of Cambridge, Massachusetts, wounded.
The two men had just left the unlicensed establishment
around 3 a.m. when they were confronted by a group of individuals. An altercation broke out, escalating quickly to gunfire. Tsegai was pronounced dead at the scene, while Berhe was transported to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. Investigators later described the shooting as a random act of violence.
In the weeks that followed, law enforcement officials made several arrests in connection with the deadly shooting. A 17-year-old male from Fall River, Massachusetts, was identified as the suspected gunman and taken into custody. Two other men, 26-year-old Brendan Bindig of Fall River and 25-year-old Jeffrey Sek of Attleboro, Massachusetts, were also apprehended and charged as accomplices.
Authorities announced they were still seeking two additional suspects wanted for murder and conspiracy. One of the wanted men was identified as Elvis Julian of Boston. The investigation into the incident remained ongoing as police continued to search for the remaining individuals involved in the confrontation that led to Biniam Tsegai's untimely death.
