Police arrest suspect in Pawtucket double shooting

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Police have a suspect in custody after a double shooting in Pawtucket left one man dead early Saturday.

Cedric Dalomba, 21, of Providence, will be charged in the shooting that took place around 1:30 a.m. inside 34 Beechwood Ave., according to Det. Sgt. Christopher LeFort.

After receiving a 911 call about the shooting, police responded to the home to find two men suffering from gunshot wounds. The two men, who both lived at the home, were rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, police said.

Mercelino Debarros, 20, was pronounced dead at the hospital while 23-year-old Jalin Braxton was treated and released.

LeFort said the shooting was not random, noting that Dalomba knew the victims. He said Dalomba will be charged with first-degree murder and felony assault, with additional charges possible.

Debarros was a boxer and his coaches and fellow fighters at the Big 6 Boxing Academy in Providence are now missing someone they considered to be one of their prized fighters.

“This kid was genuinely a good kid. College, school and work, that was his life. And he was a very good fighter too, three-time Golden Glove champion for New England,” said Debarros’ coach, Roland Estrada.

Estrada said Debarros wasn’t the first fighter he’s lost.

“We’re going to miss the kid. It’s going to take a while to get this one off, you know, to forget this one, because it’s not like the other ones,” he said. “This one hurts a lot more because this was a really good kid and like I said, he’s part of our family.”

Debarros’ main sparring partner Michael Valentin said they trained together in the gym five to six days a week.

“When he was on his game he could box, he could fight fast, powerful… kid had a lot of talent,” Valentin said.

“Sparring, cracking on each other, it was just a bond that you just can’t bring in,” he added. “It took time to build it. We’re going to miss him over here at Big 6.”

Valentin said he plans to walk out with a poster of Debarros at his next fight in December.

According to court records obtained by Eyewitness News, both of the victims were scheduled to be in court this week on charges unrelated to the shooting; Debarros was facing two misdemeanor domestic violence charges while Braxton is charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct.

WPRI