A US murder accused who was apprehended here last week and later deported had been wanted for the shooting death of a six-year-old boy in Maryland.
Rakeem Gilgeous, 33, had held here last week by local police and later deported to Florida. He is to be returned to Maryland.
According to wusa9.com 6-year-old Ahsan Payton was fatally shot at a Fourth of July party at 7.50 pm.
Gilgeous has been charged with second-degree murder and related charges and is awaiting extradition in Florida.
Police responded to the shooting at a Fourth of July party at 7:50 p.m. Payton was rushed to the hospital and died from his injuries two days later. Two adults were injured in the shooting as well.
The police here said that Gilgeous was found with his American passport and $12,000.
In a press conference yesterday in Maryland, Police Chief Malik Aziz thanked his law enforcement partners for working together to bring Gilgeous to justice. He also thanked the community for providing tips and information. But, he said, there is still work to do.
“The race is not over,” Aziz said.
That’s because police are still searching for the other person involved in the July Fourth shootout. Aziz had strong words for the person police are still searching for.
“You want to be a man, you want to get out there and commit violent crimes in our county, you want to carry guns and have an insatiable love for weapons. You want to use them on our streets, you want to get into shootouts. You want to turn our neighborhoods into anything other than the peaceful places where we live work and play — where our children play, where Ahsan Payton played — and where we entertain, then be a man and turn yourself in,” Aziz said. “Because see these guys behind me? They’re going to get you. They’re coming for you, and they’re going to find you.”
Officials credited tips from the community with identifying Gilgeous as a suspect in the shooting.
“The reason we’re here today is because the public stepped up and provided information to the department and the department pursued these leads,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, according to jmoore@wtop.com.
Aziz said investigators don’t know exactly why Gilgeous was at the July 4 party but that he may have known some of the people in attendance.
Following the July 4 shooting, Aziz said Gilgeous took a flight to Guyana “right before we identified who he was.”
“So he was able to get out of the country and seek some cover and shelter in another place,” Aziz added.
Aziz said police believe Gilgeous has family in Guyana, but he is thought to be a U.S. citizen.
At about 4.30 pm on July 29, acting on information received, ranks from Guy-ana’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), along with ranks from Special Branch H.Q., went to Lot 3451 Postal Housing Scheme, Georgetown, where Rakeem Antonio Gilgeous, a 33-year-old U.S. citizen who is wanted for murder in the USA, was arrested.
The police said in a release that a search was carried out on his premises, and one United States of America passport was found. The passport was examined and it was observed that Gilgeous arrived in Guyana on 8th July 2024 through the CJIA.
He was escorted to the Alberttown Police Station, where he was placed in custody. He was found to be in possession of US$12,000 which was lodged at the Alberttown Police Station, the police said.
In a brief statement on its Facebook page yesterday, the US Embassy here said: “A security collaboration between United States federal agents and the Guyana Police Force resulted in the arrest of a fugitive wanted for homicide in the United States. The extradition of fugitives strengthens the rule of law in Guyana and reflects the strong professional law enforcement and judicial cooperation between the United States and the Government of Guyana”.
