Pawtucket couple killed in their parked truck were targeted, Providence police say

“Two people lost their life, and four children were left with no parents,” said Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez. “This is the beginning of a homicide investigation.”

Police said the two victims were found in a truck on Hathaway Street in Providence.Steph Machado

PROVIDENCE — A Pawtucket couple was killed over the weekend while sitting in a parked truck in Providence, police said, and detectives are now searching for the assailants. They had four children.

The victims, identified by police as 30-year-old Sreylakh Ros and 29-year-old Brian Fernandez, were found dead in their vehicle on Hathaway Street, off Elmwood Avenue, near the Cranston border, by Cranston Police shortly after midnight on Saturday.

The crime scene was later turned over to Providence Police, once it was determined that the killings had taken place in Providence.

“Two people lost their life, and four children were left with no parents,” said Colonel Oscar Perez, the police chief. “This is the beginning of a homicide investigation.”

The pair had four children between them, including 1-year-old twins, police said.

Major David Lapatin, the commanding officer of the investigative division, said police are searching for suspects who fled the scene. He did not comment on a potential motive, but said the shooting was targeted.

Fernandez was sitting in the driver’s seat at the time of the shooting, while Ros was in the passenger seat. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

It was not believed to be a drive-by shooting, Lapatin said. Neighbors told police they heard shots fired and a car speeding away.

The homicides were the 12th and 13th in Providence this year, police said. There had been six homicides so far at this time last year, according to police statistics, with nine people total killed in the city in 2022. Shootings decreased nearly by half last year, compared to 2021.

Providence Police Colonel Oscar Perez, left, and Major David Lapatin briefed reporters Monday on a double homicide over the weekend.Steph Machado

Perez sad gun violence has increased in cities across the country this year, including in Providence, but noted the Providence Police Department has seized 219 guns this year thus far.

“No one wants to lose a loved one to gun violence,” Perez said, offering his condolences to the families of the victims. He said detectives would “ensure that criminals that are committing murders or violent crimes in our city are held accountable.”