On January 28, 2000, off-duty Providence police officer Cornel Young Jr., 29, was fatally shot after intervening in a parking‑lot dispute outside Fidas Restaurant. According to accounts, Young — known as Jai — drew his service weapon when he saw a man, Aldrin Diaz, with a gun and told the man to freeze. Two uniformed officers, Carlos Saraiva and Michael Solitro III, arrived and, seeing a plainclothes man with a gun, ordered him to drop it. The officers opened fire; Young was struck multiple times, taken to a nearby hospital, and died shortly afterward. It was reported they realized after firing that they had shot a fellow officer.

The shooting provoked community outrage and allegations of racial profiling. Saraiva and Solitro, both white, were not criminally charged. Diaz was initially charged with felony murder, a move that prompted protests alleging he was being used as a scapegoat. Young’s mother filed a $20 million civil rights lawsuit against the city and the officers, which was unsuccessful. Young was posthumously promoted to sergeant, and an elementary school and a scholarship fund were later named in his honor. Providence policy was changed so off‑duty officers are no longer required to carry firearms.

If anyone was present that night or has information about the events in the Fidas Restaurant parking lot, please share what is known.