In the early morning hours of July 19, 2014, a promising young Black/African American man named Ty-Shon Perry, aged 20, was tragically killed in Providence, Rhode Island. The incident occurred at approximately 2 a.m. near the intersection of River Avenue and Allston Street. Perry was at a gathering at a relative's home, engaged in a conversation with his cousin who was sitting in a parked car.
Suddenly, an individual emerged from behind a tree and opened fire.
Perry was struck in the back by a single bullet from a. 40 caliber semi-automatic weapon, which proved to be a fatal wound. Authorities later identified the shooter as 23-year-old Justice Andrade, a resident of Providence with known associations to the Chad Brown gang.
Prosecutors determined that the shooting was a result of an ongoing feud between rival street gangs. However, Ty-Shon Perry had no known gang affiliations and was not the intended target. He was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a senseless act of violence. At the time of his untimely death, Perry was a recent graduate of New England Tech with an associate's degree, had successfully passed the State Trooper exam, and was the loving father of a one-year-old son.
Following the shooting, Justice Andrade was arrested and faced several serious charges, including first-degree murder, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm without a license. After a three-week trial, a jury found Andrade guilty on all counts in January 2017. Subsequently, in April of the same year, he was sentenced to serve two consecutive life terms in prison, with an additional ten years to be served consecutively.
