PROVIDENCE - Four persons were shot outside a birthday party Saturday night on Curtis Street, the police said. They were the latest victims in a series of shootings in the city.
The police said they arrived at about 9:30 to find victims in the driveway and the back yard at 55 Curtis, a trail of blood up the driveway, shell casings and one live round on the sidewalk and an unhelpful crowd of 30 to 40 persons.
Of the persons shot, two were minors. One of them was shot in the left temple and the other in the left ankle.
The others victims were Sombun Chet, 39, of 278 Manton Ave., Providence, who was shot in the back, and Oeun Sak, 26, shot in the left arm. All were taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment, in four ambulances, three from Providence and the other from North Providence.
The police also found a white van parked in the street front of the 58 Curtis St. Two of the right side windows were broken and there was an apparent bullet hole in the same side. It appeared as though a suspect or suspects had taken cover behind the van while firing.
Police from several units canvassed the crowd but said they found people "generally uncooperative" and unable to supply specific information about the shootings.
Witnesses told police that all four victims had been in front of 55 Curtis. One of them said that he noticed an occupied Nissan Maxima on Bosworth Street near the place where the shots may have been fired from.
The trail of blood at 55 Curtis led up the driveway into the rear yard. The police said that it wasn't clear where the blood came from.
The police also found several bullet holes in the left side of the house next door, the side facing 55 Curtis.
On Friday, meanwhile, a 16-year-old city youth was shot through the leg on Violet Street, police said. Responding to a report of shots fired at at Violet and Chalkstone Ave. they learned that someone had driven the victim to the hospital. He told the police that he was shot after a fight with a man he did not know, near the 7-Eleven on Smith Street. The police said the victim was uncooperative.
The city's ninth homicide victim, Jose Sanchez, whose last known address was 108 Berkshire St., was found near Clym and June streets after the police responded to reports of shots fired early Saturday.
That followed the killing of 12-year-old Aynis Vargas, at the Hartford Park public housing project on the night of June 15. Three women were injured in the shooting.