On a summer night in Providence, Rhode Island, the life of 25-year-old Jacorey Sanders, a Black / African American male, was cut short by gunfire. The fatal encounter on June 17, 2018, was the culmination of a feud that had followed him from Massachusetts. Earlier that evening, Sanders had been with his girlfriend at a nightclub on Pine Street when he grew uneasy, spotting several people he believed intended to harm him. He even voiced his concerns to the police present at the club.
In an attempt to ensure his safety, officers escorted Sanders until he felt he was out of immediate danger.
However, the threat was far from neutralized. After leaving the club, the individuals Sanders feared had regrouped with others. As Sanders was walking back to his Toyota RAV4, parked on Garnett Street, he was pursued on foot. The chase was short. As he reached his vehicle, his pursuers caught up to him, and one man fired three to four shots, striking Sanders multiple times. He was found fatally shot in his car around 1:30 a.m. and was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation that followed quickly identified the shooting as being connected to a rivalry between two Boston-based gangs. Jacorey Sanders was identified as a member of one of these gangs. Authorities also noted that at the time of his death, Sanders had an active warrant for his arrest in connection with a drive-by shooting in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Within days of the shooting, Providence Police made their first arrests, taking Anthony Sharpe and George Webb into custody and charging them with murder. The investigation continued, leading to the apprehension of a third suspect, 27-year-old Rashawn Banks, in Boston. Banks was identified as the gunman who fired the fatal shots. In September 2019, Rashawn Banks pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a firearm after a previous conviction for a violent crime. He was sentenced to life in prison, with two additional ten-year sentences to be served consecutively. In total, five individuals were charged in connection with Sanders' death, with three of them pleading to lesser charges.
