Five men were arrested and face murder and other drug trafficking-related charges in connection with a shootout inside a Mount Vernon marijuana warehouse that killed two people, according to prosecutors.
The charges were announced Wednesday evening, a day after the deadly shooting led to a manhunt in the Bronx. The Southern District of New York said that five men — Ilario Contreras, Jerpi Diaz-Feliz, Jhoan Diaz-Feliz, Victor Jimenez and Joseph Perez — were charged with murder in furtherance of drug trafficking. If convicted on that charge alone, the five men could face life in prison or even the death penalty, because they are being charged with a federal offense.
They are also charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, conspiracy to engage in drug trafficking, and discharging a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking, according to prosecutors. The latter two charges also come with potential life sentences.
The suspects were held without bail. Prosecutors said there could be another 10 people still at large.
"The complaint indicates that a group of individuals entered the smoke shop, there was a gunfight, and two people are dead. One of whom was, supposedly, we're told, was one of the people who entered. The other was an employee. That's all we know at this point," said John Wallenstein, the defense attorney for at least one of those charged Wednesday.
There is still an ongoing search for another suspected triggerman in the shooting at the Mount Vernon warehouse that sells marijuana and nicotine supplies to smoke shops. That search brought law enforcement, including the FBI and local police, to the area near Fordham University Tuesday night.
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Earlier in the morning, the crew of around 10-15 people tried to rob the warehouse, forcing employees and other customers to the back at gunpoint, according to the criminal complaint. Soon after, a gunfight broke out between the suspects and warehouse workers, prosecutors said.
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A worker and one of the alleged robbers were shot and killed in the warehouse firefight, two law enforcement sources said. Westchester County officials have not yet released the names of the victims.
FBI investigators were seen collecting evidence a day later, packing at least 20 boxes into two trucks. Feds are also looking into the possibility that the warehouse where the shooting took place was operating as an unlicensed cannabis store. The location is not registered as a marijuana retailer.
According to the criminal complaint, the crew from the Bronx went up to the warehouse (which had a smoke shop in the front) with plans to rob it — expecting to get away with $8 million and six kilograms of cocaine. Instead, they encountered workers armed with an AR-15 rifle and a shootout ensued.
The man the FBI had been searching for (pictured below) in connection to the deadly Mt. Vernon shooting is believed to be going by the name Marcos. He was still on the run as of Wednesday evening.
The vehicle he allegedly took off in, a Honda minivan, was found abandoned near Fordham's campus. It is believed that he was behind the wheel and crashed it, or bailed on it and ran off, after leading police on a wild chase on the Major Deegan Expressway Tuesday night.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact the FBI New York office at 212-384-1000.
