East Providence Man Charged With Attempted Murder After Hammer Attack

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — An East Providence man is facing an attempted murder charge after prosecutors said he attacked a man with a hammer in a Dollar Tree parking lot, Attorney General Peter Neronha's office said Tuesday.

Kenneth Jackson, 47, was charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a person over the age of 60, and disorderly conduct.

On July 5, East Providence police were called to the shopping center at 1040 Willett Avenue after a witness reported seeing a man standing over another man with a hammer in his hand. When officers arrived, they found Jackson sitting at a nearby picnic table and detained him, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said investigators obtained security footage from a nearby Shaw’s supermarket, which showed the victim walking away from Dollar Tree and Jackson following him. According to prosecutors, the video then showed Jackson strike the victim twice in the back of the head with the hammer, unprovoked.

Prosecutors said police got permission to search Jackson's home and found a letter that described his intentions to kill someone that day.

Jackson is scheduled to appear in Providence County Superior Court for a pre-arraignment conference on Oct. 22.

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