Providence Man Gets Life Sentence For Fatally Shooting Pawtucket Man Outside A Cigar Bar

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Providence man was sentenced Friday to life in prison after prosecutors proved he shot and killed a 36-year-old man outside a Pawtucket cigar bar in 2022.

Trequan Baker, 31, was sentenced to 60 years at the Rhode Island Adult Institutions in Cranston, followed by a consecutive life sentence. On Dec. 14, 2023, Baker was found guilty of second-degree murder, discharging a firearm while in the commission of a crime of violence resulting in death, possession of a firearm without a license, and conspiracy to carry a pistol without a license.

The conviction came following the fatal shooting of Qudus Kafo of Pawtucket.

"Gun violence is all too common, altogether avoidable, and shatters the lives of victims and their loved ones," Attorney General Peter Neronha said. "While this lengthy sentence cannot undo the harm that has been caused by the defendant’s actions, I hope it provides some measure of closure for Qudus' family."

During the trial, prosecutors proved Baker shot and killed Kafo following a dispute at a Pawtucket cigar bar. On Jan. 23, 2022, Kafo and his family were visiting Fab City Cigar Lounge.

At one point in the evening, there was an argument, and a member of Baker's family left the bar to make a phone call. A short time later, Baker arrived and got in an argument with the victim, prosecutors said. Lounge security intervened, and the argument temporarily end. But, as captured on security camera footage, Baker continuously monitored the whereabouts of Kafo.

Four minutes before a fight, Baker grabbed a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol from his car, prosecutors said. As captured from the video surveillance, he immediately racked the slide back, loading a round in the chamber, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said when a fist fight started between members of Baker’s family and the victim, Baker ran onto the roadway of Benefit Street and shot Kafo in the abdomen. Kafo was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, but he succumbed to his injuries there.

"I want to thank the men and women of the Pawtucket Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office for their work in bringing this defendant to justice," Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said. "Cases like these are life-changing for the victims and their families, and startling to our community. The streets of Pawtucket are safer with this defendant behind bars, and I am glad he has been brought to justice."

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