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Wednesday, November 4, 2026Nov 4

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Man suspected in Rhode Island murder arrested in Georgia

Handcuffs tile arrest crime tile arrests police criminal tile / Getty Images
Handcuffs tile arrest crime tile arrests police criminal tile / Getty Images Handcuffs tile arrest crime tile arrests police criminal tile / Getty Images

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A 35-year-old man wanted in the fatal shooting of a Rhode Island woman has been arrested in Georgia.

Police in the town of Pooler, Georgia, say Derek Sheppard was found Friday afternoon after his vehicle was spotted in a Walmart parking lot. Authorities say they had received information suggesting Sheppard might be in the area.

Bernadette Ortiz, 50, was found with a gunshot wound in a second-floor bedroom of a city home at about 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, police said in a statement.

Police belief Sheppard fled the state shortly after the shooting. He was taken into custody in Georgia without incident.

Investigators told WPRI-TV that think Sheppard shot Ortiz following an argument inside their apartment.

Ortiz’s death is the city’s second homicide of the year.