By the prosecutor’s telling of it, an early morning pursuit through Truxton Circle and the ensuing shoot-out that left 19-year-old Jamal Wilson dead started over a beef about a man nicknamed “Psycho.”
Wilson, Assistant US Attorney David Saybolt said Tuesday, was part of the “First and Oak O” crew. A crew that also included Kwan Kearney and Jeremy Risper, the two men suspected in Wilson’s death.
As Saybolt tells the story, “First and Oak O” was having a disagreement. Kearney’s brother and Risper had testified in a murder trial against “Psycho,” and “Psycho” had just been convicted. Some members of “First and Oak O” were upset that the men had worked with prosecutors.
Wilson was shot through the chest early in the morning of Nov. 14 after being pursued by two men in the Truxton Circle neighborhood. Metro PD Homicide Detective Hosam Nasr, who testified in a preliminary hearing in the case, said police believe Wilson was shot on a playground in the unit block of P Street where bullet casings were found. Emergency responders found Wilson further down the block. Wilson fell on the playground after being shot, got up, ran from the scene, fell again, stood up with assistance from a friend, and ran again before collapsing, Nasr said.
Nasr said surveillance video of Kearney and Risper was recorded around the time of the shooting. According to Nasr, the video showed Kearney carrying a “dark object” that was being carried in a way that was “consistent” with how a gun would be held.
Prosecutors believe that Kearney is the one who fired the fatal shots at Wilson. Saybolt said Tuesday that they don’t believe Risper fired at Wilson, but that they are pursuing a charge of first degree murder while armed with the belief that Risper “aided and abetted” Kearney in shooting Wilson by participating in the pursuit.
Kearney and Risper have not been indicted by a Grand Jury, which has until Aug 19 to indict the case.
Wilson’s death is linked to the killing of Joseph Alonzo Sharps Jr.—just six days earlier—by a gun. Saybolt said Tuesday that the gun prosecutors believe Kearney fired at Wilson was used by Larnell Allen to shoot Sharps. Kearney is suspected in both cases. Saybolt said prosecutors believe Kearney and Risper stole the gun from Allen sometime after Sharps was killed.
Status hearings are set in the case for July 22 and Aug. 23.
3-20-12: A correction has been made to this story. The crew associated with the case is known as “First and O,” not “First and Oak” as initially reported.
