Ivan Encarnacion was remembered by family as the life of the party — a 25-year-old Black man from Providence described as silly, clumsy, loud and beloved. His sister said they had just gone together to buy Valentine’s Day gifts shortly before he was killed, leaving the family shocked by his sudden death.

Before dawn on Sunday, February 12, 2023, Ivan and his brother were at an after-hours party in the basement of a home on Burnside Street in South Providence, which police later called an unlicensed drinking establishment. An argument broke out as they were leaving; Ivan reportedly threw a drink at a man he did not appear to know. That man pulled out a gun and fired two shots, one striking Ivan in the neck. Police say officers arriving after a 5:30 a.m. 911 call found Ivan deceased in the basement and witnesses immediately identified the shooter.

A suspect, identified as 26-year-old Antonio Reyson Leonor Uffre, was arrested within 15 minutes and charged with murder, possession of a ghost gun, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. A judge ordered him held without bail at his February 13, 2023 arraignment, and the case was moving through the courts as of February 2023.

Did anyone attend that Burnside Street gathering or know Ivan’s movements that morning who can share what happened?