Elizabeth City police have arrested three street gang members in connection with a shooting Saturday that sent a member of a rival gang to the hospital with a leg wound. Maurice Bowser, 19, of the 200 block of Queen Street, was charged Monday with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, Sgt. Gary Bray of the Elizabeth City Police Department said. Also arrested in the incident were Joey Lamar White, 20, of Trinkaloe Road, and Snody Slade Jr., 19, of the 600 block of Cedar Street. Both were charged with felony solicitation to commit a felony. All three men are believed to be members of the Bloods street gang and all are charged in connection with the shooting of Antione Williams, a member of the rival gang, the Crips. According to Bray, the men were standing in the vicinity of B Street’s intersection with Herrington Road about 3 p.m. Saturday when a vehicle in which Williams was a passenger pulled up nearby.
After an argument ensued, Bowser allegedly fired several rounds in the direction of the vehicle. Two of the bullets hit the car; one passed through the car and struck Williams in the leg, Bray said. Police say between six and eight shots were fired in the incident. Williams, who is in his late teens or early 20s, was treated for a leg wound at Albemarle Hospital and then released, Bray said. Police expect to arrest four others in the incident on charges of solicitation to commit a felony, Bray said. The charge is similar to a conspiracy charge in that those charged are not those who pull the trigger but are still held responsible for the crime, he said.
“In my opinion, it fits what happens in this investigation,” Bray said of the charge. He hopes the charges send a message to gang members that participating in crimes have consequences. “We’re going to charge people with every charge we can charge them with under the law,” Bray said. “...We’re pretty much just sick of this shooting and all this violence.” Bowser is being held at Albemarle District Jail in lieu of a $1 million secured bond. White and Slade are each being held in lieu of $50,000 bonds.
According to Bray, Bowser has an extensive criminal record. Police are also seeking to charge him in connection with a shooting last year on Elizabeth Street in which a child was injured. He hopes that Bowser’s combined charges will result in a federal indictment.
“He’s pretty much showed that he really doesn’t care who he’s shooting at,” Bray said.