Three Essex County, New Jersey, men have been charged with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition in connection with a May 14, 2021 shooting, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Federal officials said Mr. Gilbert Bermudez, aka “Troub,” 28; Mr. Brian Elijah Mitchell, aka “Slash,” 31; and Mr. Jaahan Mitchell, 32, all of Newark, are each charged by criminal complaint with one count of possessing a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
Officials said Brian Mitchell made his initial appearance today by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre, and was detained.
Bermudez’s initial appearance is expected to be scheduled later this week. Jaahan Mitchell remains at large.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On May 14, 2021, members of the Newark Police Department were dispatched to the Pennington Court housing complex in Newark on a report of shots fired.
Officers reviewed surveillance videos from cameras located near the shooting, which showed Bermudez and Brian Mitchell, together with another man, shooting at a fourth man, who had shot into the courtyard of the housing complex.
The footage also showed that the third shooter dropped a cellular phone as he fled from the scene of the shooting.
A lawful search of the cellular phone showed that the phone belonged to Jaahan Mitchell.
Bermudez was arrested on May 20, 2021. During a lawful search of Bermudez’s residence, officers recovered a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, loaded with nine rounds of ammunition.
Ballistics testing determined that six of the 9mm shell casings found at the crime scene were discharged from the firearm found in Bermudez’s residence.
The count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.