Four Newport News Gang Members Plead Guilty to 2015 Shooting

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Eric Edmunds, II, 20, pleaded guilty today to criminal charges relating to his participation in a gang shooting outside a Sonic restaurant in Hampton in 2015.

“Gangs and the violence they bring to our neighborhoods and communities cannot continue,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.  “We are prepared on a federal and local level to take a stand against gangs and the violence they perpetrate.  Only by working together at every level and in every community, will we make progress towards ending this threat to our youth and their families.”  

Edmunds pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder in of aid of racketeering activity, and discharge of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. Quantavius Durham, 19, Raiquan Turner, 20, and Raquille Jackson, 22, also of Newport News, previously entered guilty pleas to the same charges. Each of the defendants was a member or associate of the 36^th Street Bang Squad.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, these four men, all members or associates of the 36^th Street Bang Squad, a hybrid criminal street gang, followed a Hampton Public School bus looking for a rival gang member on June 5, 2015.  According to court documents, the men did not find the rival, whom they suspected of killing a fellow gang member a few days earlier.  The men returned to their vehicle, which was parked at the Sonic Restaurant on Floyd Thompson Boulevard. A short time later, Turner observed rival gang members walking toward the Sonic restaurant, and Jackson, the driver of the vehicle, called the rivals over to the vehicle.  As the rivals approached, Jackson and Edmunds opened fire.  Edmunds used a firearm provided to him by Durham.  Hampton Police quickly stopped the fleeing vehicle only miles from the location, and all four defendants were removed from the vehicle.  Ballistic tests of the firearms recovered from the vehicle matched casings left at the scene of the shooting, and all four men were positive for gunshot residue. 

All four defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 17, 2015. Each of the defendants faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced. The minimum and maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Office; and Terry L. Sult, Chief of the Hampton Police Division, made the announcement, after Edmunds’ plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.  Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Zlotnick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross are prosecuting the case. The case was investigated by the ATF, with significant assistance from the Hampton Police and Newport News Police.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15cr80.