NORFOLK, Va. – A North Carolina man and gang member said to be responsible for a fatal shooting outside a club was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Court documents say in January 2018, witnesses allegedly saw 36-year-old Japree Lortez Brooks, shoot two people - one fatally - outside a club in Gates, North Carolina.
Brooks, who is a Bloods gang leader, fled the state and was arrested on a fugitive warrant while hiding out in Hampton Roads in possession of a handgun that he had traded for the murder weapon.
Because Brooks is a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. During his arrest, records say Brooks tried to bribe several of the arresting officers, offering $100,000 to cut him loose. The bribe was recorded on one of the arresting officer’s body cameras.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.
