In Swansea, Massachusetts in the early hours of Friday, a white Infiniti speeding on Route 6 slammed into a blue SUV, triggering a fire that killed a man and a woman, police say. The driver of the Infiniti, later taken into custody, had been identified as the suspect in a fatal shooting hours earlier in Cranston, Rhode Island. The two events have left families mourning and officials searching for answers.
Just before 8:30 Thursday night, police in Cranston answered a call to a home on Legion Way where 35‑year‑old Javon Lawson had been shot multiple times. Family members tried to help him, but he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Investigators quickly tied the crime to 28‑year‑old Demitri Sousa of Seekonk, Massachusetts after reviewing surveillance footage showing a man in dark clothes fleeing the scene in a white Infiniti. Law enforcement learned the two men had a dispute involving a mutual female acquaintance.
Around 12:15 Friday morning, Swansea police saw the same Infiniti traveling at a very high speed on Route 6. Moments later, the vehicle collided with the side of a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling on Route 136. The impact was catastrophic and the Subaru erupted in flames. First responders and bystanders tried to fight the blaze, but both people inside were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not yet been released.
Sousa was pulled from the wreckage with serious injuries and taken to a hospital under police guard. He is expected to survive. Inside his car, officers found a .22‑caliber revolver and ammunition believed to be linked to the Cranston shooting.
Police say Swansea officers had been alerted to watch for the suspect’s vehicle but were not chasing it when the crash occurred. State police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office are assisting with the investigation in Massachusetts, while Cranston detectives continue to probe the shooting.
Investigators have charged Sousa with murder, using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, and carrying a pistol without a license. He will face a judge once medically cleared. The double tragedy has shaken two communities, with local leaders calling the violence senseless and urging residents to support the grieving families.
Friends and relatives remember Lawson as a hardworking man who had turned his life around and was a devoted father and uncle. His loss has left a hole in the hearts of those who knew him.
Amid the sorrow, authorities say they will pursue every lead to bring justice for Lawson and the two victims of the Swansea crash.
