Men charged in drive-by homicide in Pawtucket in May

The two men are accused of killing Leonardo “Leo” Tavares, 20, as he sat in his car on Randall Street on May 15

Leonardo "Leo" Tavares, 20, of Pawtucket was killed in a drive-by shooting in Pawtucket last month. Police have charged two men with murder.

PROVIDENCE — Two men are being charged in a drive-by shooting that killed a man in Pawtucket three weeks ago.

Todd M. Alicea, 30, of Pawtucket, was arraigned Monday via video conference from the Adult Correctional Institutions on charges of murder and other gun felony crimes. A District Court judge ordered Alicea held without bail. Alicea is also being held as a violator of his probation in a drug case from Providence in 2019.

Jahcolin Rodrigues, 20, of Providence, is expected to be arraigned tomorrow on the same charges, said Pawtucket Detective Christopher LeFort. Rodrigues is currently being held at the ACI after being arrested by the Providence police on multiple drug and gun charges within the last week.

The two men are accused of killing 20-year-old Leonardo “Leo” Tavares as he sat in his car on Randall Street in the afternoon of May 15.

Rodrigues was driving with Alicea, allegedly on their way to commit a robbery in Pawtucket, when they saw Tavares in his vehicle, according to an affidavit accompanying an arrest warrant for Alicea.

Alicea got out and fired at Tavares multiple times, then jumped back in the car with Rodrigues, who sped them off to Providence, according to the affidavit.

Witnesses told Pawtucket detectives that they heard the gunfire, and some rushed to aid the dying man as the get-away vehicle sped away, according to an affidavit.

Tavares’ death came as the cities of Pawtucket and Providence were gripped in an escalating round of gun violence, and Providence police said some incidents between the cities appeared to be connected. The day after Tavares was killed, a 19-year-old Cranston woman was fatally shot as she sat in her car in a driveway in Pawtucket. The family and friends of Tatyana Francois pleaded for an end to the violence.

“I am extremely happy there has been an arrest,” said Councilwoman-at-large Melissa DaRosa. “Justice will not return for our loved one, but we can now start to grieve and heal together. I would like to thank all of the officers involved with this case. Our community is not seeking retaliation. Justice has been served. I encourage all sides of this conflict to cease fire.”

While police initially said that Tavares was “targeted,” Lefort said that investigators are still working on the motive. He said that the men knew each other.