Wilmington Blood Gang Member Sentenced to Eight Years for Gang Related Shooting

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 96 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On June 7, 2023, Quajohn Anthony Crews, age 21, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 12, 2022, members of the Wilmington Police Department responded to two almost simultaneous ShotSpotter notifications in a community known by law enforcement to be associated with Gangster Disciple street gang activity. Upon arrival, officers located 12 spent shell casings and several residences that were damaged by gunfire. One of the residences that suffered damage was occupied by a woman and her children at the time of the shooting and officers located a projectile on the floor of an upstairs bedroom. Law enforcement was able to identify a red four door Ford sedan as a suspect vehicle involved in the shooting.

The next day, on October 13, 2022, members of the Mobile Field Force, a joint task force comprised of officers with the Wilmington Police Department and deputies with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, located the suspect vehicle traveling near the Hillcrest public housing community and determined it was reported stolen on October 1, 2022. Officers got behind the vehicle and attempted to initiate a stop of the vehicle, but the  vehicle fled. While officers were in pursuit of the vehicle, they observed a handgun being thrown from the passenger side of the vehicle. After the vehicle stopped, Crews jumped out of the back passenger window and fled on foot, but he was quickly apprehended and placed under arrest.  Officers went to the area where the handgun was thrown from the vehicle and located a black Ruger semiautomatic handgun that had been reported stolen.

Following his arrest, Crews was brought to the Wilmington Police Department and interviewed by detectives. During his interview, Crews admitted to being a Blood street gang member and acknowledged there was an ongoing dispute between members of the Blood and Gangster Disciple gangs. He also admitted to traveling to the Creekwood housing community with others on October 12, 2022, and participating in the shooting to “send a message” and retaliate for another shooting that he believed to have been carried out by a Gangster Disciple. Crews also admitted to possessing the Ruger pistol that was thrown from the vehicle and admitted to firing the pistol on October 12, 2022. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Wilmington Police Department Gun Crimes Task Force, the Wilmington Police Department, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case.

Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt represents the government.  Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters.  This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00009-FL-001.

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