5th arrest made in murder of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson, DC police confirm

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WASHINGTON - A fifth suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the murder of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson just one day after a fourth suspect was arrested, DC police have confirmed to FOX 5's Paul Wagner.

Authorities had previously said they were searching for four gunmen and a driver wanted for the July 16 shooting that left Makiyah dead. The little girl was getting ice cream from a truck in her Northeast DC neighborhood when four gunmen opened fire on a crowd.

On Thursday, authorities said 24-year-old Mark Tee Price was arrested in connection with Makiyah's murder. Price was previously charged with murder in the death of 47-year-old Andre Young, a Prince George's County football coach who was shot to death on July 30 in Southeast DC. Price was already in custody for Young's death.

Three other suspects previously arrested in connection with Makiyah's murder were ordered to be held following a preliminary hearing on Wednesday. Authorities arrested 20-year-old Qujuan Thomas and 21-year-old Quentin Michals in August. Gregory Taylor, 23, was taken into custody in October. All three are members of the Wellington Park Crew gang, according to investigators.

Taylor, who went by the nickname "Gizzle," was described in a court document as the ringleader who said in a text message to another member of the Wellington Park Crew, "Let's go do what we do."

Court records state the motive for the shooting was payback for a 2017 shooting on Stanton Road in which Michals and two others were shot and wounded. Makiyah was shot in the back with one round, according to court documents. In all, 76 shell casings were found at the scene and 45 of those came from a firearm described by officials as an "assault pistol," which had a drum on it that could hold 100 rounds of ammunition.

Investigators said they received a tip that a black 2008 Infiniti G35 matching the description of the getaway vehicle pulled into an apartment building's parking lot the evening of the shooting. The witness said four men got out of the vehicle and three of them had masks on. The man who didn't have a mask on was identified as Michals, according to officials.

According to court documents, Thomas took a plea deal for charges related to a robbery with a firearm last summer and had a two-year sentence suspended. Due to this plea deal, Thomas was out of jail at the time of Makiyah's death when he would have otherwise been behind bars.

On Aug. 2, DC police searched seven apartments on two different streets in Southeast DC. According to three law enforcement sources, some people were taken into custody and questioned, but there were no arrests. Several phones were seized during the investigation and authorities said they contained dozens of messages referencing guns and recruiting other members of the crew for the shooting.

The car that was involved in the fatal shooting was later found abandoned in the Suitland area of Prince George's County. The car belonged to a woman who was carjacked on July 1. On Aug. 14, police arrested 21-year-old Kevin Eugene Jones for the carjacking.