Providence man sentenced to serve 30 years in state prison for shooting AR-15-style ghost gun at Providence police officer and domestic assault

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Providence man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve 30 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading guilty to shooting at a Providence police officer with an AR-15-style ghost gun following a domestic assault against a female victim in 2021.

 

On January 17, 2023, Luis Roman (age 32) entered a plea of guilty to assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, discharge of a firearm during an assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of a ghost gun, domestic strangulation, domestic assault with a dangerous weapon, and use of a firearm during domestic assault with a dangerous weapon.

 

At a sentencing hearing on March 27, 2023, Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced the defendant to 70 years, with 30 years to serve at the ACI (10 years of which are non-parolable), and a 40-year, non-parolable suspended sentence.

 

“It should come as no surprise to Rhode Islanders that the men and women in local law enforcement work hard to ensure public safety, knowing that significant risk to their own wellbeing is never far away,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This is yet another case that vividly illustrates the scope of that risk, made worse with illegal firearms in the hands someone willing to use them regardless of consequence. The defendant’s intent here was clear: to kill or seriously injure a police officer coming to the aid of a victim of domestic abuse. His conduct merits the harshest of penalties and deserves the decades of imprisonment imposed by Court today. I remain enormously grateful to the Providence Police Department for their work in this case and in so many others.”

 

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that during the early morning hours of August 11, 2021, the defendant assaulted a female victim at their apartment on Canton Street before opening fire with an AR-15-style ghost gun at a Providence Police Officer responding to the scene.

 

At approximately 4:00 a.m. that morning, the defendant argued with female victim at their apartment. The argument escalated and the defendant assaulted the female victim, pushing, hitting, and choking her. The female victim attempted to call 911, and the defendant grabbed his AR-15-style ghost gun and struck her with the side of the gun several times. During the assault, the defendant inadvertently and accidentally dialed 911.

 

The defendant then walked outside and waited for police to respond. Shortly thereafter, Providence Police Officer Robert Savage drove down Canton Street in a marked policer cruiser, stopping in the vicinity of the defendant’s apartment to illuminate residence with a spotlight affixed to his cruiser. At that point, the defendant began to fire at Officer Savage in his cruiser.

 

Under fire, Officer Savage reversed his cruiser away from the defendant. The defendant fired at least 13 times at Officer Savage, striking his cruiser twice. The defendant then fled back into his apartment, and out a back door.

 

Investigators learned that the defendant had fled to a nearby home on Sears Avenue, and a short time later, he surrendered to assembled police officers.

 

In a subsequent search of the defendant’s apartment, investigators seized an AR-15-style 5.56 caliber ghost gun, equipped with a large-capacity magazine, that was used to shoot at Officer Savage. Investigators also seized a stolen Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm semi-automatic handgun and several boxes of opened and unopened boxes of various calibers of ammunition.

 

“The men and women of the Providence Police Department put their lives on the line every day to ensure public safety, sometimes stepping into harm’s way in the process,” said Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez. “I am proud of the work conducted by our officers throughout this investigation and thank the prosecutors at the Office of the Attorney General for bringing the defendant to justice.”

 

 

President Biden is praising lawmakers on both sides of aisles for coming together to pass a debt ceiling bill and avert a potential economic disaster. In his first address to the nation from the Oval Office, the president said the budget agreement was critical and the stakes could not have been higher. The president plans to sign the bill Saturday ahead of the Monday deadline, when the Treasury Department said the U.S. could default on its debt.        Former President Trump says he's "at least as innocent" as his vice president after Pence was cleared of charges related to classified documents at his home. The Justice Department said today it wouldn't bring charges against the former Vice President, and Trump wrote on Truth Social that he should be "fully exonerated" on what he called a "hoax." The DOJ found a few sensitive documents at Pence's home, but in Trump's case federal agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home last year after his refusal to cooperate with the National Archives for months.       The White House says the U.S. won't engage in a nuclear arms race with Russia and China. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told the Arms Control Association in Washington today that the U.S. does not need to increase its nuclear forces to successfully deter its nuclear competitors. He said the Biden administration is focusing on non-nuclear capabilities such as hypersonic missiles that can reach "heavily defended, high-value targets."        Amazon could soon offer low-cost or free mobile phone services to Prime subscribers. Bloomberg reports the tech giant is in talks with multiple telecom providers like Verizon and T-Mobile. Amazon is reportedly looking to be able to offer wireless plans for ten dollars or less a month.        Federal regulators warn Venmo and PayPal users not to store cash in the app. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Director warned in a statement that payment apps have been "increasingly used as substitutes for a traditional bank" but they don't have the same protections to make sure that cash is safe. The agency said more than three in four U.S. adults have used at least one of such apps.       Mexican police say they found 45 bags of human remains that match seven missing members of call center staff. According to the state prosecutor's office in Jalisco, police discovered them in a ravine near Guadalajara. Seven young employees at a call center were reported missing between May 20th and 22nd in the city.