2nd suspect in death of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson turns himself in, police say
WASHINGTON - Police officials confirm that a second suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting death of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson. First reported by FOX 5's Melanie Alnwick, police say Quentin Michals from Southeast, D.C. turned himself in at about 5 a.m. on Monday.
The 21-year-old faces charges of first-degree murder while armed.
Over the weekend, 20-year-old Qujuan Thomas was arrested on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Makiyah, who was shot down on July 16 when four gunmen pulled into her Northeast neighborhood and opened fire on a group of people. The little girl was getting ice cream from a truck at the time of the shooting, according to officials.
Investigators are still searching for two other suspects in the case, who officials said are gang members of the Wellington Park Crew but have not yet been charged in connection with the murder. Michals and Thomas, who authorities said are also members of the Wellington Park Crew, were both scheduled to be in court Monday.
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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, D.C. police fanned searched seven apartments on two different streets in Southeast D.C. 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.
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Jones reportedly took the 2008 Infiniti G35 at gunpoint outside a home on Fontana Drive in Lanham, Maryland. Detectives said DNA evidence connected Jones to the vehicle and stated Jones told investigators he sold the vehicle to gang members of the Wellington Park Crew for $125.
Officials have concluded that Jones was not connected to the murder, but said his arrest was instrumental in identifying the suspects in the shooting. Detectives combed the vehicle and found DNA, fingerprints and shell casings matching the firearms used in the shooting, according to authorities.
The reward for information in the shooting death of a 10-year-old girl in the District was increased to $45,000 on July 30.