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Seven members of a notorious Columbia Heights street gang have been indicted on robbery, gun and murder charges.
The indictment, unsealed this week, says the seven are members of the G-Rod or 1-4 crew who used "threats, intimidation and extreme violence to protect their turf."
Prosecutors say several of the men named in the indictment were behind a 2010 daytime murder on U Street as mourners were leaving a funeral.
Five of the seven are now in custody but D.C. Police and the U.S. Marshals were still looking for two others as late as Thursday night - Marcellus Jackson and Keir Johnson.
According to the 47 page indictment, the crew carried out robberies, dealt drugs and worked very hard at making sure no one was cooperating with the police.
On September 28th of last year, the indictment says Marcellus Jackson, Keir Johnson and Lester Williams planned an attack against members of a rival Columbia Heights crew as they left a funeral.
According to the indictment, the men were targeting Jamal Coates and other men as they sat in an SUV near the intersection of 13th and U northwest.
A fourth man, Brandon Miller, who is not named in the indictment, had previously been arrested and on the night of the murder, police recovered several guns from the home of his parents.
"Everyone remembers that picture of Jamal Coates lying halfway out of that car at 13th and U Street," said U.S. Attorney Ron Machen in an interview Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Ron Machen says the 80-count indictment is the beginning of the end for the men responsible for the carrying out that crime and other violent acts.
"Some of these shootings were of innocent bystanders, they were trying to hit alleged targets, rival targets, they shot innocent people, innocent civilians with no remorse and so I want the community to know that we and all of law enforcement, MPD and DEA have done a tremendous job in going proactively after these gangs."
One of those shootings took place in June of 2009 outside the Columbia Heights Metro station; an attack that infuriated the community.
According to the indictment, the shooter was Devyn Black, a one time intern of Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham.
We talked to Graham Thursday about the indictment and the now fractured crew.
"It means that we are serious about changing this neighborhood for the better, for everyone who lives there, the old timers as well as the newcomers, we will not tolerate this level of violence," said Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham.
D.C. Police and the U.S. Marshals are asking for your help in finding two of the men named in the indictment - Marcellus Jackson, known as "Cool" and Keir Johnson, known as "Frank White or K."
Both have been charged with murder.
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