Providence police ID Newport teen shot and killed this weekend

PROVIDENCE — Providence police have released the name of the Newport teenager who was killed in a homicide early Saturday morning.

He was identified as Zachary Medina, 19, of Newport. Police said Monday he was not the intended target; Maj. David Lapatin said Medina was in town to visit his grandmother and was an "innocent victim," the Associated Press reported.

A man from Providence was also injured in the double shooting early Saturday.

They were shot after a gunman ran into a parking lot outside the Lockwood Plaza housing complex at 60 Prairie Ave. just before 1 a.m. and opened fire, Lapatin said previously.

The bullets struck Medina and 26-year-old Darius Page of Providence, who was getting into his vehicle in the lot, Lapatin said.

Both men were rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where Medina died.

There was no detailed description of the gunman, who fled, or any known motive for the shooting, police said.

Neighbors this weekend said they’d known Medina since he was small, because his grandmother lives in the apartment complex and he often visited. He was described as a “really good kid” who always had a basketball. They didn’t know why anyone would want to hurt him or Page.

The complex of apartments on both sides of the street is filled with families, the residents said, and it’s a safe area.

Medina is the ninth homicide victim in Providence this year.

Lapatin said the city saw a “spike” in violence over the weekend, which included a man seriously injured by gunfire Sunday afternoon.

Lapatin had just gotten out of an hour-long meeting with detectives when he briefed reporters about the law enforcement efforts.

“We need to get some results on the uptick in the violence,” Lapatin said.