Indictment includes multiple Attempted Murder, Vehicle Theft charges

Four Wilmington men have been indicted following an investigation into a series of connected events in which the defendants are alleged to have stolen motor vehicles and used them in shootings. The defendants – Kyair Keys, Walike Parham, Markel Richards, and Jahmir Morris-Whit – collectively face 75 charges, including 63 felonies, for crimes alleged to have occurred between January 14 and January 22, 2022.

“This is fantastic work by Wilmington Police Department and our prosecutors, and a testament to the kind of partnerships that are helping us tackle gun crime in Wilmington,” said Attorney General Jennings. “This was a disturbing, reckless, and senseless pattern of violence, and we are extremely fortunate that nobody suffered greater harm. We will work to ensure swift and full justice on behalf of the victims and of the people of our state.”

“This indictment includes charges for a number of serious offenses committed over the course of a 9-day period, including a shooting incident, several shots fired incidents, multiple vehicle thefts and a carjacking, with incidents taking place in and around the City of Wilmington,” said Wilmington Police Chief Robert J. Tracy. “I am proud of the work of our investigators, and appreciative of the collaborations with our partner agencies and the Attorney General’s Office, as we work collectively to hold dangerous offenders accountable for threatening public safety.”

On January 14, at approximately 3:37 p.m., shots were fired on the 300 block of West 23^rd Street in Wilmington. Multiple shell casings were discovered at the scene of the incident, where a daycare — occupied by a teacher and three children — was struck multiple times.  The teacher and children were thankfully unharmed.

On January 20, at approximately 8:46 p.m., Wilmington Police patrol officers on proactive patrol heard gunfire in the area of the 1000 block of Lombard Street in Wilmington.  Upon arrival, they observed four armed subjects enter a vehicle.  A vehicle pursuit then ensued. Eventually, the subjects abandoned the vehicle and fled.  At this time, Jahmir Morris-Whitt was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered.  The vehicle used in the incident was found to be stolen out of Newark Police Department’s jurisdiction.

On January 22, at approximately 2:34 a.m., Wilmington Police patrol officers responded to a shots-fired incident at a BP gas station at 201 South Heald Street in Wilmington. It was determined that a victim was shot at multiple times by several suspects.  The victim was uninjured and able to flee.  The vehicles used by the suspects were found to be stolen out of Delaware State Police and Elkton Police Department’s jurisdictions.

The same day, at approximately 4:06 p.m., Wilmington Police patrol officers responded to a shots-fired incident in the 300 block of West 7^th Street and determined that several armed subjects fired at a group of bystanders. No one was harmed in this incident.  The investigation revealed that the armed subjects fired from a white Dodge Charger that had been stolen out of Philadelphia, PA earlier that day.

At approximately 9:35 p.m. that night, Wilmington Police patrol officers saw the aforementioned Dodge Charger. A pursuit, at times in excess of 100 miles per hour, ensued through the City of Wilmington and North Wilmington, finally ending on I-95. Kyair Keys, Markel Richards, and Walike Parham were taken into custody along with two firearms.

Charges in the indictment are as follows:

Kyair Keys, 18

• Attempted Murder 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Attempted Assault 1^st Degree
• Five counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
• Five counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
• Conspiracy 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Conspiracy 2^nd Degree
• Two counts of Reckless Endangering 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Criminal Mischief
• Resisting Arrest
• Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal
• Driving a Vehicle Without a Valid License
• Unreasonable Speed

Jahmir Morris-Whitt, 21

• Two counts of Attempted Murder 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Attempted Assault 1^st Degree
• Three counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
• Two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
• Conspiracy 1^st Degree
• Conspiracy 2^nd Degree
• Reckless Endangering 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Criminal Mischief
• Resisting Arrest

Markel Richards, 20

• Three counts of Attempted Murder 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
• Four counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
• Two counts of Conspiracy 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Conspiracy 2^nd Degree
• Two counts of Criminal Mischief
• Two counts of Theft of a Motor Vehicle
• Resisting Arrest

Walike Parham, 23

• Three counts of Attempted Murder 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
• Four counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
• Two counts of Conspiracy 1^st Degree
• Two counts of Conspiracy 2^nd Degree
• Two counts of Criminal Mischief
• Two counts of Theft of a Motor Vehicle
• Resisting Arrest

The indictment was secured by Deputy Attorney General Jill Schroeder following an investigation led by Det. Brendan Wham of the Wilmington Police Department, who was able to link these investigations and investigations in other jurisdictions.

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