On the evening of February 26, 2026, 35-year-old Javon Lawson was shot dead at his home on Legion Way in Cranston, Rhode Island. At about 8:34 p.m. people inside the residence heard loud banging at a side door; when Lawson went to investigate, multiple rounds were fired from outside, striking him several times. Family members attempted to render aid and Lawson was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 9:00 p.m.

Shell casings were recovered both inside and outside the doorway, and nearby surveillance captured a masked male in dark clothing approaching the house just before the shooting and fleeing to a white Infiniti. A license plate reader later identified that Infiniti as registered to 28-year-old Demitri Sousa of Seekonk, Massachusetts, who was developed as the primary suspect after investigators learned of a prior dispute between him and Lawson over a mutual female acquaintance.

In the early hours of February 27, Massachusetts authorities took Sousa into custody after a high-speed crash in Swansea that killed two others; Sousa suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A .22-caliber pistol believed to be the murder weapon was found in his vehicle and additional ammunition was found on his person at the hospital.

Did anyone in the area see the white Infiniti or the masked suspect that night, or have information about the dispute between Lawson and Sousa?