Fifth Suspect Arrested in 10-Year-Old Makiyah Wilson’s Death

A police car in a file photo. Pixabay

Five people have now been charged in the July 16 shooting that left 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson dead and four adults injured in the northeast area of Washington.

High school student Marquell Cobbs has been accused of first-degree premeditated murder, according to WTOP. The 16-year-old was arrested at school on Nov. 16, and charged as an adult.

Another suspect, 24-year-old Mark Tee Price, was charged Thursday. Price, who was already in custody, has also been accused of the murder of Andre Young, a 47-year-old football coach, who died on July 30.

The other three suspects are 23-year-old Gregory Taylor, arrested in October; and 20-year-old Qujuan Thomas and 21-year-old Quentin Michals, arrested in August.

Court documents allege that Price threatened people before the shooting, saying “I’m the reason the murder rate is so high,” reported WTOP. The other suspects were known to have created social media videos the night after the incident in which they rapped lyrics that sounded similar to Price’s threat.

A surveillance video released by the Metropolitan Police Department in July showed the suspects’ car, a black Infiniti sedan with the rear bumper missing, pulling into an apartment parking lot. Four men, who appeared to be wearing masks, exited the car and started shooting for about 10 seconds before getting back into the car and fleeing the scene.

Police said the gunmen shot at a group of 15 to 20 people that were gathered in the apartment courtyard that evening. The 10-year-old girl was near the playground and walking toward an ice cream truck hoping to buy a treat at the time of the shooting. Her 18-year-old sister was among those injured.

The incident provoked anger and outrage around the city, with pleas to the public to help provide information to find those responsible. A $25,000 reward was offered for any tips that would lead to an arrest.

The car that was used in the shooting was later abandoned and was found to have been stolen, according to Fox 5.

During the investigation, a witness gave authorities a tip that one of the gunmen was Michals. Police then made a number of searches and took several people into custody for questioning. Cell phones were also seized, and investigators eventually found evidence of the crime.

On Wednesday, Taylor, Thomas, and Michals appeared in court, with prosecutors providing text messages and other evidence against the men.

Washington superior court judge Craige Iscoe called the case “an action of extreme violence that caused the death of a child,” reported WUSA9.

Court documents referenced a phone call involving Thomas, in which he appeared to be talking in code about a “terrorist attack at the Pentagon which is believed to be a reference to the July 16, 2018 shooting of Makiyah Wilson,” according to WTOP.

One comment included, “they found the airplane,” which may have referred to the stolen vehicle used in the incident. Thomas was then asked, “Who was at the Pentagon on the day of the attack?” He answered with the nicknames of three people.

At least some of the five suspects are believed to be members of a gang named the Wellington Park Crew. The judge decided there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial and denied the three men bond.