Businesses donate food, books, toys and gifts to celebrate Mother’s Day during a picnic at Belt Atlantic Apts. in Richmond, Va., Sat., May 8, 2021. The event was to honor Sharnez Hill, her daughter and the other victims of the recent shooting in the community.
Two local men with felony records have pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms in The Belt Atlantic Apartments in Richmond three months after five people were shot there — including a mother and her infant who were killed — as a result of efforts by the US Attorney’s Office to leverage federal resources in combating violent gun crimes in the city.
Anthony C. Brown Jr., 24, of Richmond pleaded guilty Monday in US District Court in Richmond to possessing a Glock 35 .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol in The Belt Atlantic on July 23, 2021. Dequane A. McCullers, 24, of Henrico County pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing a Glock 23 .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol in the complex on the same day. The two men were indicted together in November.
Judge John A. Gibney Jr. convicted both men after accepting their pleas and set sentencing for Aug. 15. Under federal law, possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison. Under Virginia law, the offense is punishable by up to five years.
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The US Attorney’s Office in Virginia agreed to take the cases to assist Richmond authorities as they deal with a wave of deadly firearm offenses.
“The US Attorney’s Office, along with its partners, is leveraging federal resources to support local Richmond law enforcement in combating violent gun crimes,” said Jessica D. Aber, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in a statement provided to the Richmond Times Dispatch. “This includes specifically targeting prominent violent offenders who are responsible for disproportionate amounts of criminal activity, and focusing efforts on geographic areas that have been hit hard by violent crime, such as The Belt Atlantic apartments.”
“This is an inter-agency effort stemming from a clear recognition of the severity of the threat firearms crime poses to our Richmond community, and the commitment of our office to reducing violent crime across the Eastern District of Virginia,” Aber said.
According to the prosecution’s statement of facts in the Brown case, Richmond police officers on July 23 were watching the social media accounts of “known individuals” and observed several of them brandishing firearms outside of The Belt Atlantic apartments area. Another officer then accessed surveillance cameras for the complex and noticed that several of the individuals brandishing firearms were still on the apartment complex property.
Consequently, several officers responded to The Belt Atlantic. Upon arrival, the officers approached several of the people whom officers recognized from the video surveillance. One of them was Brown, who was observed going into a stairwell of one of the buildings.
The officers detained Brown and after patting him down found the Glock 35 in his possession. Brown pleaded guilty less than three years ago in Henrico to two counts of felony forging and uttering and obtaining money under false pretenses. In May 2019, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison with all but one year and six months suspended, according to court records.
Businesses donate food, books, toys and gifts to celebrate Mother’s Day during a picnic at Belt Atlantic Apts. in Richmond, Va., Sat., May 8, 2021. The event was to honor Sharnez Hill, her daughter and the other victims of the recent shooting in the community.
It was noted in court on Monday that Brown was wounded in a January 2019 shooting in Richmond and must wear a colostomy bag as a result of his injuries. Brown was shot by an assailant who tried robbing him near the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, his attorney, Greg Sheldon, said after court.
The summary of facts in the McCullers case is similar to Brown’s, in that Richmond officers approached him on July 23 after he was observed going into a stairwell of The Belt Atlantic. He was detained and a Glock 23 pistol was found in his possession during a pat-down.
McCullers was convicted in May 2015 of two counts of robbery, and he was sentenced in August 2016 to 20 years in prison with all of that time suspended, according to court records. He was a juvenile at the time of the offense but tried as an adult.
The Belt Atlantic has come under increased scrutiny since the April 27, 2021, mass shooting in the complex courtyard. At around 6:30 pm that day, a group of several young men, wearing masks fully covering their faces, opened fire while a large group of people were outside enjoying the evening. Another group of people returned fire. More than 48 cartridge casings were recovered.
Sharnez Hill, 30, was shot in the back of the head and killed. Her infant, Neziah, suffered a fatal shot to her right thigh that exited through the left side of her abdomen. An 11-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman also were shot and wounded. All were innocent bystanders.
Five men in their late teens to mid-20s were charged with murder and malicious wounding in the shootings.
Five months later, on Nov. 30, Aaron Walker, 24, was shot and killed in a parking lot inside The Belt Atlantic during a robbery, police said. Four teenagers were charged in the robbery and killing of Walker.
So far, only one of the defendants charged in the April 27 shooting at The Belt Atlantic has had his case adjudicated in court.
Kevin Bynum, 19, was sentenced March 14 to serve 183 years in prison with 131 suspended on his earlier guilty pleas to seven felonies, including two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of malicious wounding in the April 27 Belt Atlantic shootings; the punishment also included Bynum’s conviction for a separate killing 20 days earlier, in which Vinshaun Johnson, 18, was fatally shot on Montvale Avenue in North Richmond after being ambushed by Bynum and at least two others.
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Michell Lyons, with Mom Against Violence, serves food during a Mother’s Day picnic at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
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Ke’Shawn Smith, age 9, watches his plane fly during a Mother’s Day picnic at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
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Kei’Marion (left) and Elijah Smith blew bubbles during the community event at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday.
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Emani Ford, with Mom Against Violence, serves food to Faith Pope during a Mother’s Day picnic at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
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Michell Lyons served food Saturday at The Belt Atlantic apartments in South Richmond, where Sharnez and Neziah Hill were fatally shot April 27.
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Michell Lyons, with Mom Against Violence, serves food during a Mother’s Day picnic at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
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Ke’Shawn Smith, age 9, watches his plane fly during a Mother’s Day picnic at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
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Kei’Marion (left) and Elijah Smith blew bubbles during the community event at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday.
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Emani Ford, with Mom Against Violence, serves food to Faith Pope during a Mother’s Day picnic at The Belt Atlantic apartments on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
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Michell Lyons served food Saturday at The Belt Atlantic apartments in South Richmond, where Sharnez and Neziah Hill were fatally shot April 27.
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