Police: Two men charged in road rage shootings
One incident occurred on Route 146
LINCOLN – A Rhode Island State Police firearms investigation has resulted in the arrest of a man believed to have fired a gun at vehicles in two separate road rage incidents, one occurring in the middle of the day just about a year ago on Route 146 north near the Route 295 interchange. Anthony Jackson, 24, of 17 Jewell St., Providence, was identified by the R.I. State Police, as a suspect in that July 25, 2017, road rage shooting, as well as a suspect in a second similar shooting on Oct. 29, 2017, in Providence. Jackson was identified, police say, as the shooter
involved in both incidents after a weapon recovered as part of an unrelated investigation earlier this year was found to have been used to fire the bullets striking both of the vehicles involved in the road rage shootings. Jackson was arrested at his home at approximately 2 p.m on Tuesday, said Col. Ann Assumpico. He faces two counts of felony assault in connection with the shootings, and well as charges of assault with intent to commit specified felonies, two counts of drive-by shootings, two counts of discharge of a firearms from a motor vehicle, and two counts of license required for carry and pistol, according to State Police. Jackson was processed on the charges at Rhode Island State Police Headquarters and held overnight pending arraignment on Wednesday in Sixth Division District Court. The investigation into the road rage shootings was conducted by the State Police Major Crime Unit, according to Assumpico, and considered the firing of shots into cars during two separate incidents, the first on July 25, and the second on Oct. 29, according to Assumpico. After the first incident back in 2017, State Police released a description of a red sport utility vehicle that had allegedly fired several shots at a blue 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe near the 295 interchange during an road rage incident originally beginning near the Twin River Road exit on Route 146 north. No one was reported hurt in that incident. State Police also released R.I. Department of Transportation video images of the vehicles headed toward the Route 295 interchange while asking for the public’s help in providing information on the incident occurring a approximately 12:40 p.m. on July 25. Witnesses were also reported to have seen the driver of the red SUV, listed as possibly and Nissan Rogue, Murano or Pathfinder, firing at the victim’s vehicle as the incident played out on the highway. Assumpico said the second incident was reported on October 29, 2017, at approximately 11:45 p.m., when the operator of a red sport utility vehicle allegedly fired several shots at another car on the Route 6 East onramp from Plainfield Street in Providence. No one was reported hurt in that incident as well. In both cases, the victims’ cars were struck by multiple bullets, according to Assumpico. Following the recovery of the suspect’s alleged weapon in the unrelated investigation, State Police investigators found that the bullets in both shootings were fired by the same weapon, according to Assumpico. As a result of their investigation, detectives found evidence allegedly linking Jackson to both the weapon and the highway shootings, according to the state police.