POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Local and federal authorities joined forces Wednesday to announce charges against two men for their alleged involvement in a drive-by mass shooting that injured 11 people in Lakeland last month.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, 32-year-old Nicholas Quinton Hanson, of Lakeland, and 22-year-old Marcus Dewonn Mobley, Jr, of Lakeland, were indicted on weapons charges. If convicted, both men face up to 15 years in federal prison.
Police say DNA evidence linked them to the weapons and the vehicle used in the drive-by shooting.
Mobley is the owner of the vehicle.
The shooting happened on Jan. 30 around 3:43 p.m. near Iowa Avenue North and Plum Street in the city of Lakeland, which lies about 35 miles east of Tampa. There, 11 people were injured in what authorities described as a “drive-by shooting.”
Two people were rushed for treatment with critical injuries while nine were admitted with non-life-threatening injuries. One man was shot in the abdomen and another was shot in the face. As of this report, both men remain hospitalized with critical injuries.
At the time, Taylor said he felt “very confident” there were at least four people in the drive-by vehicle. On Wednesday, he upped that number to five.
“We have everyone identified that was in the vehicle at the time,” Taylor said. “We feel like there was certainly a possibility of as many as five were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.”
A 15-year-old is believed to be among the five. He is facing state charges involving his alleged possession of ammunition and a firearm.
Authorities said they recovered 9-millimeter, .40 caliber, and 5.56-millimeter spent shell casings from the scene of the shooting that contained DNA evidence that linked back to Hanson and Mobley.
“This is something that doesn’t happen in Lakeland,” Taylor said. “I have never worked an event where this many people have been shot at one time.”
According to Chief Taylor, Alex Greene, who was killed by police last week following a police chase, believed he was owed a drug debt and set the shooting in motion.
“Our information is that he provided the weapons and modified the weapons that were used in the shooting,” Taylor said.
In response to this gang-related shooting, Sheriff Grady Judd gathered all the police departments in the city as well as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to form the “Violent Gang Investigative Task Force.”
“Everyone that has authority has said enough. We’re all going to pool all of our resources. We’re gonna present our cases to both the U.S. attorney and the state attorney,” Judd said.
Rather than look at cases individually, the task force will address them collectively.
“Those of you who want to do drive-by shootings, that enjoy drive-by shootings, that are thinking about drive-by shootings, we’re coming after you,” Judd said.
