Detroit One Collaboration Arrests Gang Members for Shooting Involving Children on Detroit's East Side

The collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement under the Detroit One initiative has led to the indictment and arrests of two members of the 6 Mile Chedda Grove street gang for a shooting that involved children, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.

Joining McQuade in the announcement was Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig, Detroit Police Department.

The indictment charges two defendants for their alleged involvement in a shooting on the afternoon of December 1, 2015, near a market on Hayes Street on Detroit’s east side.  The indictment alleges that the two men fired gunshots at a car, killing the 21 year old driver and 13-year-old passenger.  The indictment further alleges that the gunmen assaulted two other victims, ages 13 and 7 with their guns causing serious injury. 

According to the indictment, “6 Mile Chedda Grove” is a street gang that operates primarily on the east side of Detroit.  The indictment alleges that 6 Mile Chedda Grove is a violent organization responsible for murders, assaults, robberies and firearms and narcotics trafficking in the Detroit metropolitan area and in other states.  The gang uses violence to retaliate against rivals, to intimidate witnesses and to advance members’ positions within the gang. 

Under the Detroit One initiative, and through the lead efforts of the FBI’s Violent Gang Task Force and the Detroit Police Gang Intelligence Unit, law enforcement identified two violent members of this gang who have been charged by indictment in federal court.  The Task Force includes representatives of the Detroit Police Department, Michigan Department of Corrections, and the U.S. Border Patrol. 

The two defendants arrested today are:

• Edwin Lamont Mills, a/k/a “Edboy,” 26, of Detroit, charged with two counts each of murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence causing death;

• Carlo Dajuan Wilson, a/k/a “Los,” 22, of Detroit, also charged with two counts each of murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence causing death.

“This shooting, which occurred during broad daylight, killed a 13-year-old girl and 21-year-old man, and seriously injured two other children,” McQuade said.  “The utter disregard for human life, including the lives of children, is simply unacceptable, and the Detroit One partners are committed to doing all that we can to end this epidemic of violence against our children.”

“These individuals had no regard for the welfare of these children.  Today's arrests demonstrate the continuing commitment of law enforcement to work together to make the neighborhoods in which we raise our children safer," Special Agent in Charge Gelios said.

"The children of Detroit deserve a safe city in which they may grow and thrive," said Chief James E. Craig. "The Detroit One partnership is rooted in the belief that all citizens and neighborhoods deserve to be free of crime and our joint efforts to make that a reality will continue."

By working collaboratively, local, state and federal law enforcement investigate and prosecute individuals and groups initiating violence in Detroit.  This indictment is the latest in a string of cases from the United States Attorney’s Office and Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office during the last three years involving violent street gangs in the city of Detroit.  Detroit has seen a reduction in homicides every year since the Detroit One collaboration began in 2013. 

The defendants will be making their initial appearances in federal court in Detroit this afternoon. 

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.