A 7-year-old girl shot in Providence, Rhode Island, last week has died, according to police, and the two men arrested in the wake of her shooting are now facing murder charges.
Providence police told WJAR that the girl, whose name has not been made public, died at Hasbro Children's Hospital on Monday.
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The two men arrested last week, 19-year-old Ahmari Cabrera and 26-year-old Shaheem Nathaniel, will now be charged with murder.
The shooting happened around 7:40 p.m. Thursday in the Florence Street area. The girl had been hospitalized in critical condition in the days since.
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At a press conference Friday, Providence Police Deputy Chief Timothy O'Hara said his department worked through the night to identify two suspects in the case. The alleged shooters were taken into custody at a home on Carlton Street.
Mayor Brett Smiley also spoke at Friday's presser, praising police for their quick action on the case while acknowledging that there have been several recent acts of violence in the city and that the age of this victim makes it particularly upsetting. He described Thursday's shooting as the “most horrific crime that’s happened since I’ve been mayor.”
Police said the girl was in a car with an adult driver and a second child passenger when she was shot. She was not the intended target, according to investigators, who believe the gunmen had some kind of interaction with the driver before the shooting. Police have not said if they knew each other.
Providence Public Schools confirmed Friday that the child was a student in their district, but declined further comment.
