As a prosecutor described it Friday, 22-year-old Kyan Bowie is another innocent victim caught in the crossfire of feuding rival gangs.
But those supporting Diriuss Redd Jr., 17, countered that he isn’t a member of any gang and wasn’t involved when Bowie was fatally shot Oct. 15 after attending a birthday party with his family on B Street.
During Redd’s Richmond County Superior Court bond hearing, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Davis told the judge that Bowie’s death occurred during a series of revenge shootings between members of the Loyalty Over Everything gang and a gang affiliated with the Meadowbrook neighborhood.
Richmond County Sheriff investigators believe it started with a shooting in April and has escalated, Davis said. The Oct. 15 shooting which claimed the life of Bowie, who wasn’t in any gang, was a revenge shooting for the Sept. 19 killings of Kameron Tucker, 19, and Kentevios Wageman, 17, at the Cascade Apartments, Davis said. Redd told investigators he was present when his friends and LOE associates were fatally shot, the prosecutor continued.
Redd was seen at a gas station near B Street the night Bowie was killed, and he was seen fleeing the area after the shooting, Davis said.
Bowie’s mother, Nicole Wilbon, was there that night and saw her son lying on the ground as a hail of gunfire erupted, she told the judge. She realized Redd is still a teen, but he committed an adult crime and he should face adult consequences, she said.
Defense attorney Savanna Moody told the judge that Red was still in school and doing well with plans to join the Navy. He volunteers in the community and is a member of the ROTC, she said. Redd’s father, for whom he’s named, asked the judge not to believe the description given by the prosecutor. His son isn’t in any gang, he said.
Judge John Flythe denied bond.
In addition to Redd, a second teen is in custody facing murder charges in Bowie’s death, 18-year-old Evyn O’Conner. Three others have been named as suspects but are not in custody: Jamari Williams, 19, Jaquez Davis, 21, and Lawrence Stephens, 19.
According to court records, Davis is on probation for five years after pleading guilty in Richmond County Superior Court in May to entering an automobile with intent to commit a felony. Williams has pleaded not guilty to a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and is free on bond. Stephens is on bond in connection with two cases in Richmond County Superior Court. He has pleaded not guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and other charges that allegedly occurred on Jan. 16, and of trafficking heroin which allegedly occurred May 20, 2021.
Neither a probation violation warrant in Davis’ case, nor bond revocation motions in Stephens’ and Williams’ cases have been filed.
