PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Police have arrested a Pawtucket man wanted in connection with a deadly shooting earlier this year.
Elijah Soto, 18, has been charged with first-degree murder, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and carrying a firearm without a license.
Soto is accused of shooting and killing 28-year-old Jovani Velez, of Cumberland, on Carnation Street back in January, according to police.
An arrest warrant was issued for Soto late last month after investigators determined he was involved in the shooting.
Velez’s death was the city’s second homicide of the year.
Back in 2014, Velez was one of three men charged in a drive-by shooting on I-95 in Providence. His loved one, who didn’t want to be identified, told 12 News he had “completely changed his life around for the better” after that incident, which made his murder that much more shocking.
“Jovani will forever be in my heart,” they wrote in a statement. “Although nothing can bring him back, I am happy that there is justice being served. The violence needs to end. It’s a shame the pain situations like this leave on the loved ones of gun violence victims.”
Velez leaves behind a son.
Soto is currently being held without bail at the ACI in Cranston.
