Pope Leo XIV’s name has surfaced in an unexpected criminal investigation involving a teenager whose recovery at birth the Vatican recognized as a miracle. Tyquan Johnson now faces accusations connected to a double shooting that injured two people in Rhode Island.
Authorities arrested Tyquan Johnson after accusing him of shooting two people in Rhode Island
TMZ reported that U.S. Marshals arrested Johnson, 19, at a Virginia residence July 29. Newport police accuse him of involvement in a July 19 shooting near Truman Road and Rosedale Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island.
NBC 10 reported that police obtained a warrant charging Johnson with felony assault with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a compact area. The two victims, ages 22 and 25, suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to their lower extremities. Authorities called the shooting targeted and isolated.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force found Johnson at a Chestnut Avenue address in Newport News, Virginia, at approximately 8:30 a.m.
Police said the investigation remains active and additional charges could follow. Authorities are also seeking another person for questioning. They have not publicly identified that individual or disclosed a possible motive.
The case drew wider attention because Johnson’s 2007 recovery became part of the Vatican’s beatification process for Salvador Valera Parra, a 19th-century Spanish priest. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints said Johnson was born prematurely without normal breathing and with a dangerously low heart rate.
The attending doctor prayed for Salvador Valera Parra’s intercession, and the baby’s heartbeat returned shortly afterward without further external intervention.
Vatican News reported that Pope Leo XIV approved the miracle attributed to Salvador Valera Parra’s intercession on June 20, 2025. The recognition completed the process that led to the Spanish priest’s beatification on February 7, 2026.
The arrest adds an unsettling development to recent interest surrounding Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff recently used his first U.S. television interview to discuss immigration and American identity, received a surprising gift from Marco Rubio and drew attention after joining young Catholics in a viral “6-7” gesture.
Johnson faces criminal accusations, not a conviction, and prosecutors must prove the charges in court.
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