Gang Member Allegedly Shot and Killed Three-Year-Old Girl in
Turf Battle; Authorities Aim to “Catch the Killer and Dismantle his Gang”
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an
indictment charging seven alleged members of the Old York Money Gang, an
alleged drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in the Waverly Way
section of Baltimore, with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent
to distribute controlled substances. One defendant is charged with using a gun
to kill an innocent bystander. The indictment was returned on April 25, 2017,
and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants.
The indictment charges the following defendants, all of
Baltimore:
Terrell Plummer,
a/k/a Rell, age 28; Davonte Rich, a/k/a Chopper, age 22;
Trevon Beasley,
a/k/a Tre, age 23;
Tyrone Jamison,
a/k/a Ty, age 23; Davin Lawson, a/k/a D, age 25; Calvin Watson, a/k/a Monster,
age 26; and
Tyron Brown, a/k/a
Boobie, age 26.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for
the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Daniel L.
Board Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -
Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Kevin Davis of the Baltimore Police
Department.
"Exceptional police officers and prosecutors worked
tirelessly and creatively to catch the killer and dismantle his gang because
they care about saving lives," said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.
"The indictment alleges that an armed drug dealer killed McKenzie Elliott,
which is no surprise because most murders in Baltimore are committed by armed
drug dealers who belong in prison."
"The loss of any life is heartbreaking to a family
member, but to see this level of callous disregard for human life, especially
when it leads to the loss of an innocent child, is wholly unacceptable,"
said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Daniel L. Board. "ATF will
remain steadfast in our partnerships with the Baltimore City Police Department
and the USAO to combat these blatant and vicious attacks against our
communities."
"This case rocked not only the Waverly community, but
the entire city of Baltimore," said Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin
Davis. "McKenzie should be in school, running around with her friends and
doing everything a six-year-old does, but instead, her life was cut short by a
coward with a gun. This case exemplifies the strength of our federal
partnerships and our resolve to go after those who choose to harm citizens,
especially our most vulnerable."
According to the 16-count indictment, the defendants were
members and associates of the Old York Money Gang (OYMG), a violent drug
trafficking organization operating in the Waverly Way neighborhood in the
northeastern district of Baltimore since January 2014. Crimes committed by the
gang include murder, robbery, extortion, burglary, and narcotics trafficking. A
neighborhood gang, OYM generally limits its membership to persons that
originate from or live in the Waverly Way neighborhood, and excludes outsiders.
The gang represents their association through social and digital media in which
members and associates identify themselves by hand signals forming the letters
"OY" or written labels of "Old York Money Gang" or OYMG.
The indictment alleges that the defendants sold heroin,
powder and crack cocaine, and marijuana in their territory in Waverly Way and
elsewhere. The defendants and their associates controlled, maintained, and
defended drug territories called "shops" and permitted only OYMG
members to sell drugs in these shops. Any non-OYMG members who wished to
distribute drugs in these shops would be violently attacked. The defendants
agreed to defend their territory. In order to maintain and increase their
power, they agreed to commit murder and assaults against anyone who posed a
threat to their organization or who invaded their territory.
In the summer of 2014, Plummer allegedly carried a firearm
defend OYMG territory and collect drug debts. On July 31, 2014, Plummer, Rich
and other OYMG members allegedly violently attacked three victims who had
entered OYMG territory to support a friend who was engaged in a dispute with
the sister of an OYMG member. In this incident, an OYMG member stabbed one of
these victims.
The three victims returned to the same OYMG drug shop on
August 1. In order to protect OYMG territory, Plummer allegedly shot multiple
rounds at the vehicle carrying the three victims. One of the rounds hit a
victim in the head but did not kill him. Another bullet missed the three
victims and killed a three year-old girl named McKenzie Elliott.
If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of
40 years in prison for the drug conspiracy. Plummer faces a maximum sentence of
death or life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug
trafficking conspiracy in which death results and a maximum of life
imprisonment in prison for using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during
a drug trafficking crime. Beasley, Lawson, Jamison, Watson, Plummer, and Brown
also face a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of distribution of
heroin, powder cocaine and/or crack cocaine. Rich also faces a maximum of 5
years in prison for distribution of marijuana. The defendants are expected to
have an initial appearance later today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual
charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at
some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF
and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr.
Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Metcalf and Robert R.
Harding, who are prosecuting the case.
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