4 men charged in deadly 2021 mass shooting at Florida banquet hall – WSB-TV Channel 2

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

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MIAMI — Four suspected gang members were arrested in a shooting that killed three people and injured at least 20 others outside a Florida banquet hall over Memorial Day weekend in 2021.

The shooting outside the El Mula Banquet Hall, which killed Desmond Owens and Clayton Dillard III, both 26, and Shaniqua Lechelle Peterson, 32, was the largest mass shooting of the history of Miami-Dade County. It happened as people were arriving at the venue for a rap concert, authorities said.

“This was a planned attack targeting the artists and attendees,” Fernandez Rundle said. “This was a completely senseless act of violence and retaliation.”

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Allen Gregory Chambers Jr., 30; Jacarree Brian Green, 30; Willie Zavon Hill, 27; and Eugene Anthony Holmes, 22; are each charged with three counts of first-degree murder and a single count of conspiracy to commit murder, Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference.

The alleged gunmen are also charged with 20 counts each of attempted murder. Hill is charged with tampering with evidence for disposing of a Nissan Pathfinder, which authorities say was one of four vehicles used in the May 30, 2021, shooting.

The Pathfinder, which had been stolen, was thrown into a canal.

The confessed lookout in the crime, Davonte Barnes, 25, was convicted last fall of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. CBS News reported that he was sentenced to life in prison.

According to the Miami Herald, Chambers, Green, Hill and Holmes are being held without bail. It is not yet known whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

The investigation is ongoing and further arrests are possible, Fernandez Rundle said.

“This investigation will continue until everyone who can be charged is charged,” she said.

Arrest warrants obtained by the Herald indicate that the defendants are members of the Bricks street gang and that their primary target was a rap artist named “Foepack” who was performing at El Mula the night of the shooting.

The rapper is also a member of the Back Blues, a rival gang based in Opa-lock, according to court documents.

Prosecutors argued during a preliminary hearing for Barnes that the men plotted the shooting after learning of the rapper's upcoming performance, the Herald reported. The shootings were sparked, in part, by the shooting death of Antwon Streeter, a Bricks associate, the week before the mass shooting.

Authorities said at least 99 bullets were fired into the crowd, from nine different weapons. According to the Herald, crime scene technicians ran out of evidence markers for the shell casings and had to start creating their own.

Although “FoePack,” real name Antonio Jones, was the group’s main target, his injuries – caused by a gunshot to the foot – were minor, according to the newspaper. Another target, Johntrell “JRG Hatchett” Love, was shot in the head but survived.

Owens, who was killed, was a third intended target, authorities said.

Authorities said Peterson, who was killed, was believed to be an innocent bystander.