Daniel Zairis, a 24-year-old Black man remembered by loved ones as a son, brother, and grandson, was killed in Providence, Rhode Island, in the early morning of August 28, 2021. The night began at the Revel Lounge, a nightclub on O'Connell Street, but ended in tragedy just as the club was closing.
Around 2 a.m., as Daniel was leaving the lounge, a man approached him, drew a firearm, and shot him several times. Police later described the shooting as a targeted attack. In the immediate aftermath, friends who were with Daniel reportedly fired back at the shooter. They then rushed Daniel to Rhode Island Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead. The shooting was one of two separate and unrelated homicides that occurred in the city within a 20-minute span.
The investigation into Daniel’s death quickly led police to a suspect. Authorities identified 31-year-old Ahmad Crowell of Warwick as the man wanted in connection with the homicide.
On September 13, 2021, less than a month after the shooting, Providence Police detectives, with assistance from police in Seekonk, Massachusetts, located and arrested Crowell at an auto body shop in Seekonk.
Crowell was charged with first-degree murder and firearms offenses. At his arraignment, he was ordered held without bail and was referred to the public defender's office. The case eventually proceeded to trial, where a jury acquitted Ahmad Crowell of the murder charge. He received a sentence of time served on related gun charges. As of that verdict, the murder of Daniel Zairis remains legally unsolved.
