Two Charged for Shooting Up Car Outside Cranston Apartment Complex

CRANSTON, RI—Bertram Ware got out of jail on Jan. 21. Two days later, he found himself back behind bars after allegedly shooting up a car belonging to a man involved with his ex-girlfriend.

Cranston police arrested Ware, 34, of 161 Easton Ave., Warwick, and another man in connection with the Jan. 23 shooting outside the Farmington Terrace apartment complex that left the car with several bullet holes, shell casings on the ground and rattled residents who heard gunfire in the early morning hours.

Ware was arrested on the night of the shooting, according to Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael J. Winquist, and was arraigned in Third Division District Court two days later on charges of carrying a pistol without a license, firing in a compact area, vandalism and felony conspiracy.

Also charged was Luis Lopez, 33, of 69 Superior St., Providence, who is facing the same charges along with a charge of possession of a firearm after being convicted of a crime of violence.

“I commend the officers and detectives who investigated this shooting, as well as the witnesses who had the courage to come forward to offer their assistance,” Winquist said. “The reckless and violent behavior of these suspects endangered the residents of the Farmington Avenue neighborhood and apprehending them was of the highest priority of our police department.”

Police said the 911 calls came in at around 2:34 a.m. reporting the sound of gunshots outside the complex at 151 Farmington Ave.

Police arrived and found an unoccupied car parked in the lot with several bullet holes and multiple shell casings were on the ground.

Witnesses gave police a detailed description of the suspect who fired the shots as well as the car that fled the scene. Those accounts, along with surveillance footage from a nearby business that captured the incident, led police to Ware’s apartment where they seized his car and took him into custody.

Ware, a known associate of the Providence street gang Oriental Rascals was presented as a bail violator when he appeared in Kent County District Court earlier this week on a previous charge of violating a restraining order, police said.

Ware had just been released from the Adult Correctional Institutions on Jan. 21 after serving time for that charge. He is now back at the ACI being held without bail.

Lopez was arrested Thursday morning by the Rhode Island State Police Violent Fugitive Task Force. Cranston police had obtained a warrant for his arrest during their investigation. At the time of his arrest, Lopez was on probation for a 2013 conviction of possession of heroin with intent to deliver and was due to be arraigned on Thursday.

Ware is due to return to court on Feb. 8 for a bail review hearing and later in March for a screening conference.

Police said the investigation determined that the motive was “to enact retaliation against the owner of the damaged vehicle due to his relationship with Ware’s ex-girlfriend,” according to a news release.