CRANSTON, R.I. — Javon Lawson heard banging at his side door Thursday night. He went to answer it. He was dead before 9 p.m.
The 35-year-old father of three was shot multiple times through the doorway of his home at 289 Legion Way in Cranston by a masked gunman who walked up to the house, opened fire, and sprinted back to a white Infiniti parked around the corner on Aetna Street.
Less than four hours later, that same Infiniti was hurtling westbound on Route 6 in Swansea when it slammed into a Subaru Ascent at the Route 136 intersection — killing both people inside.
Three dead. Two crime scenes. One night. All over a woman.
Police have charged Demitri Sousa, 28, of Seekonk with murder.
Demitri Sousa, 28, of Seekonk. (Cranston Police Department)
Gunned down at his own front door
At approximately 8:34 p.m., residents inside Lawson's home heard pounding at a side entrance. Surveillance cameras from neighboring houses captured what came next: a figure in dark clothing and a mask approaching the house, then gunshots, then the figure running.
Lawson was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital and pronounced dead at 9:09 p.m. Shell casings were found on both sides of the doorway.
Cranston police say the killing stemmed from "a prior dispute involving the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance" — Lawson's girlfriend.
A father who rebuilt his life
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Lawson had served a prison sentence earlier in his life. By all accounts, he came out a different man.
He was raising his young son and had taken in two additional children whose mother had passed away. Family members told reporters he was hardworking, a positive presence in the community, and completely focused on his kids and staying out of trouble.
He was 35 years old.
Plate readers tracked his run
Investigators identified Sousa from the surveillance footage and traced his Massachusetts-registered Infiniti. A Flock license plate reader picked up the car on Route 10 South in Cranston shortly after the shooting.
It was later spotted in Fall River, then Westport. Sousa was moving fast through southeastern Massachusetts.
At 12:18 a.m. Friday, his Infiniti plowed into a 2022 Subaru Ascent at the intersection of Route 6 and Route 136 in Swansea. Both occupants — a man and a woman whose names have not been released — were pronounced dead at the scene.
Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder confirmed that no one was pursuing Sousa at the time of the crash. There was no chase. He was simply driving at an extreme speed, and two people are dead because of it.
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Gun and ammo recovered
A .22 caliber pistol — believed to be the weapon used to kill Lawson — was found in the wrecked Infiniti. Additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered from Sousa at the hospital.
Sousa sustained serious injuries in the crash and required surgery. He is being treated at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence and is expected to survive.
Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist called the incidents "senseless acts of violence that have left families grieving and a community shaken."
Charges mounting in two states
Sousa faces charges of murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license in connection with Lawson's death.
Additional charges tied to the double-fatal Swansea crash are expected from the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.
The investigation spans two states and four agencies: Cranston Police, the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office, Massachusetts State Police, and the Bristol County DA.
Sousa remains in custody at Rhode Island Hospital. He will be arraigned once medically cleared.
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