PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha said a Providence man was found guilty for the shooting and injuring of a 42-year-old in 2021.
42-year-old Alex “Bemba” Perez was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of discharging a firearm resulting in permanent incapacity, one count of carrying a firearm without a license, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a crime of violence.
Neronha added that Perez is a known member of the Trinitarios street gang.
On February 27, 2021, Perez shot 42-year-old Junior Rafael Pena Soto at Montecristo Bar & Restaurant on Elmwood Avenue following an altercation between the two when the defendant went to the restaurant in an attempt to collect money from the owner.
Soto stepped between Perez and the owner, and was shot in the abdomen.
Investigators identified Perez from surveillance footage.
He is currently being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions awaiting sentencing.