Pawtucket Man Convicted Of 2023 Ambush Killing

Video showed the Pawtucket man pumping 17 shots from a pistol in each hand, the attorney general's office said.

By Joseph Hosey, Patch Staff

May 18, 2026 11:01 am EDT

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Pawtucket man was convicted of a 2023 ambush killing in Central Falls.

Luis Lopez, 39, was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in death, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a ghost gun and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office said in a media release.

Lopez killed Emmanuel Torres Plaza in Central Falls in September 2023.

"That night, the Central Falls Police Department responded to the scene of a shooting on Dexter Street," the release said. "Investigators found Torres Plaza deceased at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators recovered seventeen spent 9 mm shell casings from the scene."

Video surveillance showed a gunman "dressed in black, pulling into a lot across the street from Torres Plaza’s business earlier that evening," according to the release.

Shortly after 9 p.m., the video "shows Torres Plaza running across the street toward his car," the release said. "As Torres Plaza approached his car, the shooter jumped up from behind the car with a pistol in each hand and fired seventeen shots at Torres Plaza. The shooter then fled the scene."

About an hour later, the Plainville, Massachusetts police received reports of a car engulfed in flames, according to the release.

"One call from two high school students reported a man, later identified as (Lopez), walking away from the burning car in the middle of the road with a gas can," the release said.

"A few minutes later, officers from the Plainville Police Department located (Lopez) walking by the side of the road," per the release.

"The two high school students identified (Lopez) as the man they saw walking away from the burning car, and officers took (him) into custody," the release said. "In (Lopez's) backpack, investigators found a Glock 17 semi-automatic handgun, a Polymer80 semi-automatic ghost gun, a bulletproof vest, black clothing, a ski mask, multiple license plates, gloves, and three 33 round large capacity magazines."

The Plainville police issued a flyer with information about Lopez to local police departments, including the Central Falls Police Department, according to the release.

Central Falls investigators confirmed the burned vehicle matched the Lopez's getaway car and the shell casings found at the scene were all linked to the guns found in his possession, the release said.