Violent Latin Counts Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Drive-By Shooting in Southwest Detroit

A Latin Counts gang member was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider, Special Agent in Charge James Deir of the ATF’s Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department.

Ryan Jose Taylor, a/k/a “Loco,” 24, of Detroit, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland for planning and carrying out with fellow Latin Counts gang members a drive-by shooting in a residential neighborhood of southwest Detroit that occurred on October 7, 2017, killing one victim and injuring two others.  According to court records, Taylor fired the gunshot that killed the deceased victim. 

Also according to court records, the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of Lincoln Park and Ecorse.  The Latin Counts are a criminal enterprise responsible for murders, robberies, and the distribution of illegal drugs.  The Latin Counts use violence to retaliate against rivals, intimidate citizens in the community, and advance members’ positions within the gang. 

Under the Detroit One initiative, and through the lead efforts of the ATF, FBI, and the Detroit Homicide Task Force, law enforcement identified and charged a total of seven violent members of the Latin Counts gang responsible for the drive-by shooting, all of whom have since pleaded guilty.

Detroit One is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the community to reduce homicides and other violent crimes in Detroit.  By working together, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies strive to maximize their ability to identify and arrest individuals and groups initiating violence in Detroit. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis Crisostomo, Robert VanWert, and Eric Straus.