Props to the Prosecutors but this Account is Freaking Terrifying

Photo by PoPville flickr user Michael T. Ruhl

From a press release:

Three District Men Sentenced to Prison Terms
In Attempted Drive-By Shooting of Rival Neighborhood
– More Than 25 Shots Fired in Pre-Dawn Attack –

WASHINGTON – Three men have been sentenced to prison terms on charges stemming from their roles in an attempted drive-by shooting that targeted a rival neighborhood and their subsequent efforts to obstruct justice, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

Sergio Waynes, 24, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of justice. Brian Coles, 27, was sentenced today to three years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, and obstruction of justice. Marcio Green, 28, was sentenced on February 27, 2012 to a seven-year prison term for assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license.

All three defendants are from Washington, D.C. They were convicted by a jury in December 2011 following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and sentenced by the Honorable Heidi M. Pasichow.

The government’s evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendants were affiliated with the Kennedy Street neighborhood in Northwest Washington, a crew also known as “KDY.” KDY has a rivalry with the Crittenden Street neighborhood in Northwest Washington, also known as “CRT.” Waynes believed that individuals from CRT were responsible for the July 2009 murder of his best friend, Dewayne Coles, 20, a KDY member and the brother of defendant Coles.

Early on August 17, 2011, the defendants were overheard talking about Dewayne Coles and seen pouring out liquor, presumably in tribute to him. They also were seen passing around a semi-automatic handgun with an extended clip during various points. Then, shortly after 5 a.m., the defendants made their way in Waynes’s vehicle from the Kennedy Street neighborhood into CRT territory, near Ninth and Crittenden Streets NW, at which point Green commented about someone he saw on the street and told Waynes to stop the car.

Armed with the semi-automatic pistol with an extended clip, Green exited the vehicle. At that point, no fewer than 26 bullets began to fly. Although it is not clear whether Green was able to fire before he himself was hit, the government’s evidence established that Waynes and Green had entered their rival neighborhood’s territory on a mission to seek revenge, and upon seeing their intended targets, Green brought upon himself, the eyewitnesses and the residents of this otherwise quiet residential neighborhood a hail of gunfire that resulted in two gunshot injuries to Green. Following the shooting, numerous acts of obstruction and tampering ensued, including efforts to persuade eyewitnesses to lie to the police and tamper with evidence, as well as the discarding of the weapon used in the shootings.

The shooting was one of many violent episodes in a back-and-forth battle between the warring neighborhood crews. This prosecution was, in part, the result of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s initiative to target gang violence in the District of Columbia, and to stop the cycle of violence.

U.S. Attorney Machen commended the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department officers who were involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case. He commended the outstanding work of Detectives Thomas Austin-Braxton, Curtis Prince, John Cobb, and Michael Pepperman; Crime Scene Search Officer Jaron Hickman, and Officers Eric Young, Jeffrey Maslona, and Kenneth Bryant. U.S. Attorney Machen also cited the efforts of several members of his staff, including Litigation Support Services technicians Tracy Van Atta, Jeannie Lattimore Brown, and Joshua Ellen; Victim Witness Specialist Michael Hailey; Paralegals Wanda Trice, Debra Smith, and Kelly Blakeney, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Sawyer and Jennifer Kerkhoff, who investigated, indicted, and presented the government’s case at trial.