In the early morning hours of September 22, 2018, a 19-year-old Hispanic male named Zachary Medina was visiting his grandmother in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally from the Bronx, New York, he had moved to Rhode Island at a young age and was living in Newport at the time of his death. Zachary was an aspiring chef who was enrolled at the Exeter Job Corps Academy to earn a culinary certificate and had recently started a new job at a McDonald's.
He was known by his family as a happy and good-natured person who was eager to work and help his parents.
Shortly before 1 a.m., Zachary was in the parking lot of the Lockwood Plaza housing complex on Prairie Avenue where his grandmother lived. He was with another man, 26-year-old Darius Page, and they were walking to a car. Suddenly, a masked man ran into the parking lot and began shooting. Both Zachary and Page were struck by the gunfire. They were both rushed to Rhode Island Hospital for their injuries.
While Darius Page survived the shooting, Zachary Medina succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Providence Police investigating the shooting stated that Zachary was an innocent victim who was not the intended target of the attack. Authorities believed he was simply trying to get into his car when he was shot. The gunman, for whom police did not have a detailed description, fled the scene after the shooting. The motive for the attack remained unclear to investigators, and no immediate arrests were made in connection with the city's ninth homicide of the year.
