Fatal confrontation in Woonsocket leaves family grieving
Police say a 24-year-old man fatally shot a Rhode Island mother and her partner before taking his own life in what authorities are treating as an apparent murder‑suicide.
What happened: On Nov. 3, investigators found 40‑year‑old Kimberly Pieranunzi and 45‑year‑old Donald Roderick Jr. fatally shot inside Pieranunzi's apartment in Woonsocket. Authorities identified 24‑year‑old Sean Rivera as the shooter and say he died from an apparent self‑inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, according to local news reports.
Confrontation and escape: Rivera had been dating Pieranunzi’s 19‑year‑old daughter, Jazmyn Roderick. Police say a discussion about tensions in the young couple’s relationship escalated in Jazmyn’s second‑floor bedroom, during which Rivera produced a gun and allegedly demanded sex at gunpoint. Jazmyn fled the apartment and ran to a nearby smoke shop, where employees say she arrived covered in blood and urgently sought help.
“I know that none of us were supposed to live that night,” Jazmyn told WJAR. “I remember I saw bright white... I couldn’t see anything for a second... So I thought that I was dead.”
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Jazmyn running from the building to the smoke shop. Store employee Dominique Domingo told reporters the teen was frightened and asking staff to hide her.
Weapon and public safety: Police recovered a .380‑caliber handgun inside the apartment and later determined it had been reported stolen in Maine. Authorities said the shooting appeared confined to the apartment’s occupants and posed no ongoing threat to the wider community.
Community response: Pieranunzi was a student in the Community College of Rhode Island’s LPN‑to‑RN program and was scheduled to graduate in December; CCRI officials called her a dedicated student. Friends and family held a vigil in Bernon Park where loved ones remembered Pieranunzi as loyal and hardworking. Sojourner House and other advocates stressed that the killings reflect a broader pattern of intimate partner violence and urged the community to remember the victims and support survivors.
Two GoFundMe pages were launched to help cover funeral expenses and to support Jazmyn as she grieves and recovers. Family members say they are supporting one another through the aftermath of this tragic event.
Note: Details above are based on statements from law enforcement and local news reporting; the investigation is ongoing.
