CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — Police have arrested a second suspect in a drive-by shooting in Cumberland.
Officers responded on Oct. 22 to reports of gunfire in the parking lot of a social club on Chase Street. Cumberland Police Chief Matthew Benson told 12 News the club was hosting a large party of an estimated 150 people.
A shooting first took place in the club’s parking lot on the corner of Broad Street and Lusitana Avenue. Another shooting then happened in a separate club parking lot on Chase Street.
Several rounds of gunfire were exchanged between the individuals and a moving vehicle, according to Benson. One witness vehicle was hit multiple times as a result, but no injuries were reported.
Miguel Silva, 37, was arrested in North Providence in connection with the incident, but it is unclear which of the two shootings police believe he was involved in.
Silva is charged with drive-by shootings, firing across a highway, firing in a compact area, license or permit required for carrying a pistol, possession of a firearm by a felon, conspiracy, and injuring or tampering with vehicles.
Benson said the scene was “chaotic” and required backup from neighboring police departments.
Silva was previously arrested in August after allegedly participating in a brawl on a Block Island Ferry heading back to the mainland. He was one of seven charged in the incident, which sent two people to the hospital.
Silva was charged with disorderly conduct and pleaded not guilty in that case. He’s scheduled to be arraigned in the Cumberland case at 6th District Court on Thursday.
The Cumberland shooting remains under investigation.