On the evening of July 6, 2015, a violent chase through the streets of Providence, Rhode Island, ended the life of 27-year-old Joao Dos Santos. While driving his car, Dos Santos was pursued by occupants of another vehicle. The harrowing chase forced him to drive the wrong way down Canal Street as he tried to escape his pursuers.
The pursuit came to a crashing halt when Dos Santos's vehicle was wrecked. Emerging from the car, he ran across the street before collapsing. He had been shot.
Joao was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident was one of two separate but similar fatal shootings that occurred within a half-hour of each other in Providence that night, leaving the community shaken.
In the years that have followed, the case of Joao Dos Santos's murder has grown cold. Surveillance footage captured a white car behind his, but investigators were never able to obtain a license plate number. Despite the efforts of the Providence Police, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. Authorities have suggested that Dos Santos's killing may have been a case of mistaken identity and have not definitively linked it to the other homicide that occurred the same night. His family continues to seek justice, remembering him as a protective and loyal man who was always smiling. The Providence police have appealed to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in this tragic and unsolved case.
