After being released from a New York City jail in May, a reported Bloods gang member has been involved in three drive-by shootings, news outlets report.
Darrius Sutton, 23, was released without bail after being arrested in connection with a shooting on May 16 in Brooklyn’s East New York. The Justice Department officials stated that Sutton had reportedly shot and critically injured a man.
He was allegedly charged with attempted murder, assault with intent to cause injury and criminal possession of a weapon. He was later released after the detective’s only witness recanted their statement, reports say.
“At the time of arraignment, the sole eyewitness had recanted, so we did not have sufficient evidence to keep the defendant in custody,” a spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office told the outlet. “The investigation is continuing, and we hope other witnesses come forward.”
Following Sutton’s release, federal prosecutors alleged that the 23-year-old suspected gang member committed three drive-by shootings in June alone.
Before the recent shootings and his arrest in May, reports say that Sutton had a violent streak.
Fox News reports that on April 20, he reportedly shot a man, who was identified as a “rival gang member,” multiple times in his back, approximately six feet away from him.
He also was sentenced to two years in prison, in March 2015, after being convicted for assault with intent to cause bodily injury.
“The defendant’s violent spree over the last year has left at least seven individuals with gunshot wounds,” federal prosecutors wrote in July 29 court papers. “The defendant is extraordinarily violent by any measure, and he has shown total disregard for the lives of others.”
On July 29, Sutton was arrested by detectives and charged with possessing a weapon despite being a felon. He is being held at a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York, and faces up to 10-years in prison.
