Violence at scene of brawl in Cranston leaves one dead, another, a teen, with stab wounds

CRANSTON − Body cameras worn by police officers recorded a driver intentionally hitting and killing another man early Friday morning, just seconds after the officers arrived at the scene of a fight with a dozen people involved, including a 15-year-old bleeding from a stab wound to the back, the police said.

A police investigation has charged a 24-year-old Cranston man, Edwin Torres, with murder, and 23-year-old Destiny Torres of North Providence with a felony count of assault with a dangerous weapon, a knife, according to Cranston police Maj. Todd Patalano.

The two suspects are believed to be cousins, and both were in a Honda Accord that struck and killed Isaac Vasquez at the scene of a disturbance that drew Cranston police at 12:39 a.m., Patalano said.

"They did know the other people on the other side of this disturbance," Patalano said. "We're just trying to get some more answers on how they met up, how it occurred, and what the reason was for it."

Video recorded by the officers' body cameras answered many questions about how Vasquez died, Patalano said Friday at a news conference.

"These body cameras tell the whole story," Patalano said. "There's nothing better than these body cameras today to utilize in our investigations."

Police arrive promptly at the scene

Patalano said officers arrived on the scene on Oak Street and Trainor Street almost immediately after dispatchers received a call.

The officers saw that a 15-year-old was "bleeding profusely" from a stab wound and within seconds also saw the vehicular assault on Vasquez, Patalano said.

Other officers arriving in police cruisers boxed in the Honda driven by Edwin Torres, Patalano said. The two Torreses were arrested at the scene, he said.

The 15-year-old was in stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital, Patalano said.

Scene of continuing disturbance is also a homicide scene

The arrival of police at the scene did not immediately quell the disturbance. One person was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction, Patalano said.

"In this case," he said, "we had to make additional arrests and make sure that the scene remained safe and that the crime scene wasn't compromised. When you set up crime scene tape and people are running through it or trying to run through it, you have to take action and stop that from occurring because we have to preserve the crime scene. And in this case, you had someone who was killed."

At least a dozen people were involved in the confrontation. The initial report, fielded by police, said about 30 people were there at that time, Patalano said.

"We're still trying to figure out who is there, identify some more people and get some more witness statements," he said. "There's a lot more to do in this case."

Patalano said police would not release the video camera footage, adding that investigators still need to make contact with some people. They believe those people were at the scene and left.

Scene of killing is a hotspot

Oak Street has frequently drawn attention from police, Patalano said.

"We're working with the community, and we have a community-response unit that has been working with the neighbors. Unfortunately, it's just one of the hotspots right now."