PROVIDENCE -- The fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man on Westminster Street Friday appeared to be the result of a romantic entanglement that involved the victim, his ex-girlfriend and one of two suspects in the shooting.
Maj. David Lapatin said the shooting seemed to be motivated by a "girlfriend-boyfriend type of thing," adding that the unnamed girlfriend had dated both the victim, Johenlly "Gabby" Espinal and one of the suspects, Kongvannark "Ricky" Maloney.
Maloney is 21 and has a last-known address of 21 Benedict St,. in the West End.
On Saturday, the police were still searching for Maloney and Felix Olivares, 20, of 109 Porter St., in the Washington Park section of the city. The police have issued warrants for both.
The police said Espinal was driving out of a parking lot in Wiggin Village, a low-rise housing complex off Westminster Street, when his car was rammed by another automobile.
The driver of the second car jumped out, shot Espinal and ran off.off, the police said.
Espinal was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital shortly before 1 p.m. Friday.
On Saturday, Espinal's family described Gabby as a serious young man, a hard-worker whose dream was to finish college next year. Espinal was attending the Lincoln School of Technology, where he was studying to become a dental hygienist, relatives said.
According to Espinal's father, Gabriel Espinal, Gabby was dating a woman until a few months ago when they stopped seeing each other. The family didn't know her name.
Maloney, they said, dated the woman before Espinal met her.
The elder Espinal alleged that Maloney had threatened his son.
On Friday, the former girlfriend came looking for Gabby in Wiggin Village but he didn't want anything to do with her, his family said.
"Work and college -- that was his life," Iris Jiaenz, a friend of the family, said. "He was a very nice guy, never a problem. He was never in gangs."
Maloney was reported to have ties to the Youngbloods gang, but police have not confirmed the shooting was gang related.
Story was originally posted at 12:17 p.m.