Fortunately, Providence has a "Nonviolence Institute" to deal with these matters

Rival gangs let loose on each other, 9 shot

A shooting Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island, reportedly left nine injured, including three who are in serious condition. It is believed to be the largest in the city’s history.

The shooting emerged from a disagreement between two groups that turned violent at around 7 p.m. Thursday, the police said, according to WPRI, a local CBS affiliate. At least three of the nine victims are in serious, “maybe critical” condition at Rhode Island Hospital, Providence Police Chief Col. Hugh Clements reportedly announced at the scene.

Clements described the shooting as part of an “ongoing feud” between two violent groups known to the city’s authorities, according to the Associated Press.

The violence reportedly started when members of one group shot at a house from a vehicle. Residents of the house — members of the rival group — then shot back, according to The Associated Press. The police chief characterized the participants as “young men.” 

The shooting underscores a worrisome trend of gun violence observed in Providence in recent weeks. Since the start of 2021 and prior to Thursday, 19 people had been shot in the city, seven of whom had been killed in gunfire homicides, Clements said, according to The Providence Journal.

However, no other shooting in city history has injured this many people, according to police.

“It’s unfortunate that young men in this community have no regard for life at times,” Clements said. “They fire the guns willingly at each other, which is the case here. So very disappointing.”

But don’t worry, I’m confident that the bedside counseling by the Nonviolence Institute will have made this sort of bad behavior a thing of the past.