28-year-old Bristol County man indicted after allegedly murdering Rhode Island man, involvement in Swansea crash that killed couple

A Bristol County man was indicted

On Tuesday, the Providence Grand Jury returned an indictment charging 28-year-old Demitri Sousa of Seekonk with one count of murder, one count of discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in death, and one count of carrying a firearm without a license.

According to police, on February 26th, at approximately 8:34 p.m., officers from the Cranston Police Department responded to Legion Way for a report of a male who had been shot.

Upon arrival, officers located an adult male inside the residence suffering from multiple gunshot wounds with family members rendering aid. Officers secured the scene, and Cranston Fire Department rescue personnel transported the victim to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 9:09 p.m.

The victim was identified as 35-year-old Javon Lawson of Legion Way, Cranston.

Preliminary investigation revealed that individuals inside the residence heard banging at a side door. When Lawson approached the door, multiple gunshots were fired from outside the residence, striking him. Evidence recovered at the scene included shell casings located both inside and outside the side entrance.

Officers immediately canvassed the area and obtained surveillance video from nearby residences. Video footage showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward. The individual was observed running to a white Infiniti sedan parked on Aetna Street, which then left the area.

A Flock License Plate Reader subsequently captured the vehicle traveling northbound on Route 10 South from Reservoir Avenue shortly after the incident, and later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The vehicle, a white Infiniti bearing a Massachusetts plate, was determined to be registered to Sousa.

Witness interviews and further investigation developed Sousa as the primary suspect in the shooting. Investigators learned of a prior dispute involving the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance.

Later that evening, at approximately 12:45 a.m., Sousa was taken into custody by Massachusetts authorities following a motor vehicle crash in Swansea, Massachusetts that resulted in the deaths of 54-year-old Carolyn Carcasi and her husband, 53-year-old James Carcasi of Bristol, RI. Inside the white Infiniti, authorities located a .22 caliber pistol believed to be the weapon used in the shooting. Additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital.

Sousa is scheduled for arraignment on May 6th in Providence County Superior Court.