NEWARK, N.J. – Three members of allied Jersey City gangs were charged with the July 7th shooting of a 12-year old child, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Federal officials said Marc Taylor, a/k/a “Bando,” 18, Jashawn Tate, a/k/a “Trilly,” 18, and Damari Blackwell, a/k/a “Juggy,” 18, all of Jersey City, are each charged by complaint with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering activity and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
They are scheduled to make their initial appearances July 16, 2020, by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Taylor, Tate, and Blackwell are associated with three violent street gangs, which have operated pursuant to an alliance since at least September 2019.
These gangs historically were associated with specific neighborhoods in Jersey City: the Marion Gardens Housing Complex, Rutgers Avenue, and the Curries Woods Housing Projects. Since the inception of this alliance, members and associates of Marion, Rutgers, and Curries Woods have operated as a cohesive unit, particularly with respect to their retaliatory acts of violence against rival gangs.
On July 7, 2020, Taylor, Tate, and Blackwell drove to rival gang territory and approached a group of individuals.
Taylor fired numerous rounds with a .45 caliber handgun through the front passenger seat window of a vehicle while Blackwell simultaneously attempted to fire a Tec-9 assault pistol through the sunroof.
A 12-year-old was shot in the leg. Following this assault, Tate attempted to evade law enforcement by fleeing Jersey City in a stolen car and crashed, which resulted in the apprehension of the three defendants.
This targeted assault in rival gang territory appears to be a retaliation for a previous shooting.
On the count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering activity, Taylor, Tate, and Blackwell each face up to 20 years in prison. For their respective charges for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, Taylor, Tate, and Blackwell each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed on any other charges.