15- to 18-year sentence for man convicted of 2022 Caribbean Carnival murder
BOSTON, January 15, 2026 – TONY VANCE, 41, of Roslindale was sentenced by Judge Josh Wall today in Suffolk Superior Court to 15 to 18 years in state prison for manslaughter, a concurrent four-to-five year sentence for possession of a loaded firearm without a license to carry, and two years' probation after release for the 2022 shooting death of a Brighton man during the 2022 Caribbean Carnival in Boston.
Vance was convicted by a Suffolk County jury Wednesday.
On August 27, 2022, Vance engaged in a verbal altercation with attendees at the annual Caribbean Carnival in Franklin Park. He later drove by and opened fire on the crowd, striking Derrell Russell, 33, of Brighton, in the torso. Russell was transported to Boston Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.
Russell's fiancé delivered a victim impact statement at today’s sentencing, saying Russell's death “left a void that cannot be filled. Our youngest child, who I was 7 months pregnant with at the time, will never get to meet him or experience him the way we did. She will never hear his voice, feel his protection, or know firsthand the love he had to give. That is a lifelong loss she did nothing to deserve.”
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden called Russell's murder "a devastating moment of violence amid a celebration of community spirit."
"Once again we see the terrible consequences of illegal guns in the hands of people unhesitant to use them, in this case with bullets flying into a crowd gathered for one of our city's proudest celebrations. The words of Derrell Russell's fiancé speak poignantly to the unending loss and sorrow caused by such reckless actions," Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications