Local gang member, felon sentenced for retaliatory Creekwood shooting

WILMINGTON — A Wilmington felon was sentenced to 96 months in prison Friday for an incident that occurred last October.

Quajohn Anthony Crews, 21, pled guilty June 7, 2023 to charges of possession of a firearm be a felon.

On Oct. 12, 2022, Wilmington Police Department responded to two simultaneous ShotSpotter notifications in a neighborhood known by law enforcement to be associated with Gangster Disciple street gang activity.

Upon arrival, officers located 12 shell casings and several houses, including one occupied by a woman and her children at the time, were damaged by gunfire. WPD identified a red four-door Ford sedan as the suspect vehicle.

The following day, the city and county joint task force Mobile Field Force located the vehicle traveling near Hillcrest. The officers determined the car had been stolen Oct. 1, 11 days before the shooting.

When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the occupant drove off. While in pursuit of the car, officers saw a handgun thrown from the passenger side window. Once the car stopped, Crews jumped out and ran on foot but he was quickly apprehended and arrested.

Officers also located the gun thrown from the window as a black Ruger semiautomatic that had been reported stolen.

During questioning by law enforcement, Crews admitted to being a Blood street gang member and acknowledged an ongoing dispute between members of the Blood gang and Gangster Disciples.

Crews owned up to joining others Oct. 12 to retaliate and shoot up the Creekwood community “to send a message.” He also admitted to throwing the Ruger from the window and firing it Oct. 12.

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan initiative, a collaborative effort with local, state and federal agencies working with the community to identify and address violent crime.