HOUSTON – Charges were filed Friday in the deaths of two people who were killed in separate incidents last year in an ongoing gang war, officials said.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said 19-year-old Kendrick Johnson has been charged with two counts of murder in connection with the slayings of Kenneth Roberson and Delindsey Mack. Authorities said Johnson is a member of a gang known as the 103s in Houston's Third Ward.
“Both murders were committed as part of an ongoing assault by the 103 group against YSB in retaliation for other crimes,” said District Attorney Kim Ogg. "We are here to urge the killing to stop.”
Roberson was killed Sept. 23 by someone in a passing vehicle while he was driving on Long Drive, investigators said. Roberson’s body was found in his car after it slowly rolled to a stop in a median.
Investigators said Mack, 18, was targeted Nov. 13 by a masked gunman who shot him while he was walking with a girl on Bammel Lane, not far from Lamar High School, where he was a student. They said the gunman stood over Mack after he fell to the ground and fired several more times. Police said they were looking for a black Subaru with a plastic bag on the rear passenger side window.
In a news conference today, Roberson and Mack’s mothers thanked God and the Houston Police Department for bringing their sons' killer to justice.
VIDEO: Arrest announced in 2 homicides
"That is teamwork. My team promised me that they had my back, and they showed up. They showed out,” said Mack’s mother. “I tip my hat to HPD."
Houston police Chief Art Acevedo also spoke at the conference. He asked for the community’s help in combating the ongoing gang violence around the city.
"The sooner we can bring these suspects to custody (and) the sooner people cooperate, the sooner we can bring justice to these victims (and) the sooner we can bring peace to our neighborhoods," Acevedo said.
In addition to the two murder charges, Johnson has also been charged with aggravated assault in connection with a Jan. 8 shooting.
Officials said they will not release Johnson's mug shot at this time. He is currently in jail on robbery charges. He is expected to appear in court early next week.