Providence Nightclub Shooter Gets 50 Years

PROVIDENCE, RI — The man who shot three people in a Providence nightclub in 2015 will do 35 years in prison. According to Atty. Gen. Peter Kilmartin, Michael Stokes, 28, of Providence, was sentenced to a total of 50 years to serve, 35 of which is not eligible for parole, for the October 17, 2015 shooting inside the El Tiburon. A jury found him guilty in February.

According to court records, Stokes quarreled with Dwayne “Fat Cat” Monteiro. On his way out the door, he turned, pointed a .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol at Monteiro, and fired. Three bullets hit Monteiro. Two other people also were hit.

Stokes fled. Authorities caught up with him in North Carolina.

Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause gave Stokes 15 years to serve (to run concurrently) for each of the three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon; plus 20 years to serve, without parole, to run concurrently for each count of discharge of a firearm; and five years to serve for possession of a firearm without a license, also to run concurrently. Those sentences brought the total to 35 years.

The judge tacked on 15 extra years because Stokes is considered an habitual offender.

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