In the early hours of February 18, 2021, 20-year-old Jontel Tavares was found inside a vehicle on Benefit Street in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and pronounced dead at about 1:15 a.m. The Pawtucket Police Department’s Major Crime Unit and BCI Divisions opened a homicide investigation and described the shooting as a targeted attack rather than a random act, though investigators have not released a motive to the public.

The community held vigils in the months afterward, joined by city officials including Pawtucket City Councilwoman Melissa DaRosa, as family and neighbors sought answers. No arrests or publicly identified suspects have been announced and the case remains open and active. If anyone was in the Benefit Street area that night or has information about Jontel Tavares’s death, please contact the Pawtucket Police.