Three men in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have been indicted in the death of 8-year-old Peyton “P.J.” Evans last month.
Desmond Nkwocha, 21, Mark Nkwocha, 23, and George Shamman, 23, were indicted by a grand jury Thursday, Prince George’s State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said in a statement Friday. The three had been arrested earlier this month.
“The arrest of these three individuals, we hope, begins healing for this family and for this community,” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks told WTOP.
Evans was killed by shots that came through a glass sliding door while he sat in an apartment on Brightseat Road, in Landover, Aug. 24. Police had previously said a car approached a group of adults gathered outside the apartment and opened fire. The adults ducked and Evans was hit.
Charging documents said it was the third shooting in two days between two rival neighborhoods.
Braveboy’s office also announced an indictment against Dominique Johnson, 21. Earlier charging documents indicated that Johnson was at the apartment when Evans was shot, and told the police he had shot at a car driven by Mark Nkwocha the day before.
After that shooting, Mark Nkwocha was arrested leaving the scene of an accident. On Aug. 24, about three hours before the shooting that killed Evans, Nkwocha was released on bond and picked up by Shamman in a car that matched the description by witnesses of the getaway car in the shooting on Brightseat Road.
The Nkwocha brothers and Shamman have been charged with 56 counts, including murder and assault. Johnson is charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and other charges.
“The death and murder of this 8-year-old child is devastating and is being taken very seriously in my office,” Braveboy said in a statement. “I am making it my personal mission to ensure that we achieve justice for the family of little PJ Evans.”
Alsobrooks said separately that Evans’ mother, Tiffani, has been “the most gracious woman” throughout this process.
“I believe that…she feels good about the arrest, but of course nothing’s going to bring back her eight-year-old son, and that is the part of it that none of us can get over,” Alsobrooks said. “We are going to do the best we can to to get justice here and to pray [for] this family with love.”
WTOP’s Valerie Bonk contributed to this report.
