A federal jury has convicted the final two members of the 103 street gang charged in connection with a retaliatory drive-by shooting that killed an innocent bystander in Houston’s Third Ward.
Shaquille Richards, 32, and Alexandra Nicks, 32, both of Houston, were found guilty of using a firearm to kill during a racketeering murder and murder in aid of racketeering.
Evidence presented during trial, including jail phone calls, social media posts, and testimony, established that Richards and Nicks were leaders of the 103 gang. The group was engaged in a ongoing conflict with a rival gang, Young Scott Block (YSB). Court records showed that Richards and Nicks ordered lower-ranking gang members to carry out the shooting and threatened to expel anyone who refused to target rivals.
On Oct. 16, 2017, fellow gang members Deandre Watson, Mertroy Harris, Marcus Christopher, and Marquis Erskin drove into YSB territory searching for targets. Armed with firearms equipped with high-capacity 50- and 100-round drum magazines, the group opened fire upon spotting a rival gang member on a street corner. The intended target was wounded but survived. However, a 53-year-old bystander standing in a nearby front yard was struck and killed.
Following the shooting, the getaway vehicle crashed into a ditch. Watson, Erskin, and Christopher carjacked a woman traveling with an infant to flee the area. Harris fled into nearby stores, discarding his weapon and clothing before officers arrested him shortly after.
“The gang war that these defendants engaged in plagued Houston’s Third Ward community for years,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Based on yesterday’s convictions, these violent criminals are facing long prison sentences that will keep them off the streets of Houston and hold them accountable for the innocent life they took. The Department of Justice has zero tolerance for the scourge and societal ills caused by gang violence. We are aggressively prosecuting violent gang members and continuing to restore law and order to America’s cities.”
U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz for the Southern District of Texas stated that the office will continue to target violent gang activity.
“These gangbangers turned a Houston neighborhood into a battlefield, ordering killers to hunt down and murder their rivals, and an innocent man paid for their violence with his life,” Reitz said. “If you wage war on our streets, terrorize our communities, and put innocent Texans in the crosshairs, my office will come for you. We will dismantle violent gangs, prosecute the criminals who lead them, and put them behind bars where they belong. Houston’s neighborhoods belong to law-abiding citizens, not to violent gangs.”
Law enforcement officials noted that the case highlights joint federal and local enforcement efforts.
“The convictions of these two local career gang members are exactly the kind of results we hoped for when the Department of Justice launched the Violent Crimes Initiative in Houston,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Too often, turf wars between violent neighborhood gangs claim innocent victims. When we leverage our federal resources and law enforcement partnerships, we not only double down on the war against violent crime happening on our streets and front yards, we also procure justice for entire communities terrorized by these criminals.”
Richards and Nicks are scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 4 by a federal district judge. Watson, Harris, Christopher, and Erskin have all previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the attack and are set for sentencing on Sept. 2. All six defendants face up to life in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Houston Police Department, with assistance from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
READ: DOJ Deploys Monitors To Four Michigan Cities During Tuesday Primary Election
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
