A man was shot selling goods outside the Islamic Center of Rhode Island Friday afternoon, according to the Providence Police Department. According to Patricia Socarras, director of communications for the City of Providence, the victim is associated with the center’s mosque, Masjid Al-Kareem.
Police are still investigating the matter and no suspects have been identified yet, Socarras confirmed in an email to The Herald. Socarras added that the possibility that the shooting was religiously motivated is still under investigation and will be determined by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha P’22.
Imam Abdul-Latif Sackor told The Herald he believes the shooter had waited in a nearby parking lot for at least half an hour, according to security video footage he has access to.
According to Sackor, the victim was wearing a white turban. He also shared that the victim is currently still receiving medical treatment but is recovering. Sackor added that while he could provide limited access, he believes that the shooting was religiously-motivated.
“No one else was hurt” and the “victim was immediately transported by Providence Rescue” to receive medical assistance, according to Socarras. The man’s injuries were not life-threatening, the Providence Journal previously reported.
When asked if the Providence Police have observed an increase in religiously-motivated crimes since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military retaliation, Lindsay Lague, public information officer for the Providence Police Department, wrote in an email to The Herald that “Providence police have responded to rallies and gatherings related to this matter to ensure the safety of the citizens within our city. Police will continue to monitor and investigate these events as they occur.”
“Acts of hate, vandalism or any illegal criminal behavior will not be tolerated by police, and subjects involved will be held accountable," Lague added.
Additional reporting by Neil Mehta
Julia Vaz is the managing editor of newsroom and vice president on The Herald's 134th Editorial Board. Previously, she covered environment and crime & justice as a Metro editor. A concentrator in political science and modern culture and media, she loves watching Twilight (as a comedy) and casually dropping the fact she is from Brazil.
