A Brooklyn man is facing federal charges for his alleged role in the Crown Heights mass shooting that left three people dead and 10 injured last August.
Elijah Roy, 25, was indicted on Wednesday on charges of assault-in-aid-of racketeering and possession of ammunition as a felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors said the shooting was the product of a gang rivalry between members of the 5-9 Brims and Folk Nation Gangster Disciples. Two of the three men killed — Marvin St. Louis and Jamel Childs — are believed to have been gang members and appear to have started the violence that night.
Per court documents, Roy, who is described as an “associate” of the 5-9 Brims, was with other alleged gang members, including St. Louis, at Taste of The City lounge on the night of Aug. 17. Childs and others believed to be Folk Nation members were already inside when they arrived.
At about 3:30 a.m., after some friction between the groups, St. Louis charged at Childs and opened fire, court documents state. In response, Roy and at least two other men began shooting before fleeing the bar, where a security camera captured an image of Roy on the sidewalk, gun in hand.
St. Louis and Childs died from their injuries at NYC Health+Hospitals/Kings County later that night. Amadou Diallo, a 27-year-old bystander with no connection to either group, was caught in the crossfire and died on the scene after being shot multiple times.
“Elijah Roy, a Bloods associate, allegedly participated in a mass shooting in a crowded local restaurant, killing three and significantly injuring another ten in about six seconds,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia, in a statement. “This alleged act of egregious violence harmed bystanders caught in the crosshairs of a gang’s territorial dispute.”
Roy was arrested in North Carolina on Sept. 18 after an investigation. Following his indictment, federal judge Peggy Kuo ordered that he be held in custody until his next hearing, contending that Roy was a flight risk and a danger to his community due to past criminal offenses and his alleged role in the fatal shooting.
“Such a flagrant disregard for human life will not go unpunished and this prosecution underscores the resolve of our Office and law enforcement to eradicate gangs in the district,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, in a statement. “It is my hope that this arrest will give some comfort to the victims’ loved ones and the traumatized survivors of this heinous crime.”
