APD: ‘Antwan Penn murder is gang related’; Additional charges pending for 15 to 22 year old suspects

Albany, Ga– Following the recent arrests involving the shooting that happened on South Cleveland Street back in March, which took the life of Antwan Penn and injured his wife, Courney Penn, the Albany Police Department hosted a press conference discussing new developments in the case.

“After investigation, we realized it was some sort of gang type issue,” said Seargent Letaevia Jackson, Investigator, Albany Police Department.

Sgt. Jackson said the victims were innocent bystanders

“It was not an initiation it was a mistaken identity. There was a prior incident that happened maybe 30 minutes to an hour before that where one of the gang members family members houses had been shot up. they went out searching for those perpetrators. in that process, Mr. Penn and Mrs. Penn were coming from a family function, they mistaken their vehicle for someone else and ended up shooting them,” said Jackson.

CBS 44 News reporter Mary Alex Anders, stated, “I was actually here the night of the shooting, what I saw from my position across the street, the vehicle was parked right here on the side of the road and had crashed into another vehicle. According to the Albany Police Department the suspects shot the vehicle approximately 25 times and then took off on foot.”

Courntney Penn (32) survived gunshot wounds to the head and hand and continues to recover, but her husband Antwan (30) succumbed to multiple gunshot injuries that night.

Photo provided by Courtney Penn

Earlier this week (May 8th and 9th) officials arrested two brothers, Zaydren (20) and Donnellius Thomas (22), Brian Massey Jr. and Nicholas Collier, both age 15, Nekhi Parks (18) and Montrez Nix (17). All were charged with murder, denied bond and are members of the “4BG” gang, per APD.

“This particular gang we have been investigating, we have made contact with several of them during different cases, from motor vehicle thefts, property crimes and curfew violations and things of that nature,” said Sgt. Horacio Paige, Albany-Dougherty Gang Unit.

Officials are consistently seeing a decrease in age in association with the increase in violent and gang-related crime. Causes range from parents not actively checking their child’s social media or whereabouts, to adults recruiting juveniles to commit crimes, lack of discipline in youth, lack of involvement in after school activities and more.

“No matter what you tell these kids, they’re going to do what they want to do. Some of these kids come from great homes, but kids still do what they want to do. You can’t just blame it on the parents, sometimes it’s the kids and the influences that they get from social media, from school, all the different type of ways,” Sgt. Jackson explained.

With this, APD is hosting an event they hope will help combat the issue.

“We actually have the Albany-Dougherty youth unit that will be held at Albany middle, the ages are 8 to 14. So, if your child is not doing anything this summer, they can get involved in that where they talk about gangs, teach them how to budget money and things like that,” said Sgt. Telur Allen, Albany Police Department.

Sgt. Jackson says although they have made arrests, their work in this case is far from finished.

“We’re still investigating, gathering information, gathering evidence, waiting on results from the different social media sites, waiting on results from the GBI lab, ATF, all of those things. So the case just doesn’t just because we made an arrest. We need to make sure that we gather all the evidence that we can to make sure we have a good case,” said Jackson.

When APD posted the arrests to their Facebook page, it received hundreds of shares, comments and likes. Sgt. Jackson provides a bit of advice for young kids facing the reality of gang affiliation/peer pressure and touched on the comments left on the post.

“You know, you look at social media when you’re putting out these different posts on loved ones and us solving the case. You have so many people in the comment section who say something to the effect of “free my homeboy”. It could be your family member tomorrow, and my words of wisdom would be to them is, at the end of the day, these bullets don’t have names. These are family members, and we have to do what we need to do in order to get justice for them. So, it could be you today, it could be your family member tomorrow. Hopefully this will be used as an example that even at the age of 15, you can still go to jail,” said Jackson.

Sgt. Allen says it is very possible Brian Massey Jr., Nicholas Collie, and Montrez Nix could be tried as adults, if this case reaching that point, even though they are just 15 and 17 years old.

“Murder is one of the ten deadly sins and you can get charged for one of the ten deadly sins at the age of thirteen here in Georgia,” said Allen.

Jackson described many of the arrestees as “habitual” offenders, with majority, if not all, possessing a prior criminal history.

“Some of them do have charges from other cases. From enter and auto, to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, those type of things… it’s kind of like a revolving clock for them,” Jackson stated.

Corporal Jontrevius Keith wanted to challenge parents in the community to be more involved in their children’s lives, no matter their age.

“I challenge the parents to take some time out with your child, go look for signs. If you see those signs, we’re a part of the gang unit, you can give us a call. We will come out and talk to them and try and show the family and children on how to be individuals on their own. Most children when they get into gangs, they’re missing something. So, we can try our best to assist them and find out what they’re missing and help them move forward and stay away from that lifestyle. No matter where a child comes from a door shouldn’t be closed because they feel like there is no way out,” said Keith.

APD Gang Unit says the most common signs of gang affiliation are:

• Use of specific hand gestures on social media (could also include flaunting firearms and/or money on social media)
• Shirts, hats, and other clothing in matching colors or with matching logos and symbols (also check for tattoos or for insignia on jewelry, belts, and shoelaces)
• Gang graffiti (sometimes called “tags” or “placas”) on notebooks, clothing, and other personal belongings (watch for initials, numbers, and nicknames written in Old English-style letters or in handwriting that is hard to decipher)
• Newly acquired and unexplained money or expensive possessions that are displayed, worn, or shared with peers
• Carrying or showing off a gun, knife, or other weapon
• Admitted gang involvement, and your child knows all three of these: his or her alliance (for example, People or Folk), set (for example, Surenos, Crips, Latin Kings), and gang name (for example, Locos, Westside Crips)

Parents should also look out for the following changes in behavior or lifestyle of their children:

• Poor or failing grades in school
• A hostile or defiant attitude
• Secrecy about activities or time away from home
• Drug or alcohol use
• Involvement in illegal activities or trouble with law enforcement
• Sneaking out of the house
• Suddenly spending more time with “friends” or family who are knowingly affiliated with a gang
• Suddenly quitting or skipping after school activities they were once passionate about (football, basketball, band, art club, vocal choir etc.)
• Getting in physical altercations at school

With this, Cpl. Keith said the most obvious place to find signs or proof of involvement is in kids cell phones.

“Pick up their phone. Their phones tell you everything you need to know about them. Go look at their social medias. I understand our children want privacy, but we as parents have to protect our children as well. Sometimes you have to snatch that privacy away from them just to protect them,” Keith said.

Officials say additional charges will be charged to all 6 suspects including a gang related charge as well as aggravated assault, and future arrests could be made.

If you have any information on this case, you can report a tip through the Albany Georgia Police Department app, call their department at (229)-431-2100 or to remain anonymous, contact CRIMESTOPPERS at (229)-436- TIPS.

Mary Alex Anders reporting.

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