In the early morning hours of November 3, 2022, a sense of unease settled over the 2500 block of Brookfield Avenue in Baltimore's Reservoir Hill neighborhood. It was here that 38-year-old Delaka Augins, a female resident of the city, found herself in a life-altering confrontation. An attempted carjacking turned deadly when an unidentified assailant shot her in the upper body.
In a strange turn of events, after the shooting, she was driven to the intersection of West 28th Street and Sisson Street, where police were finally called to the scene at approximately 4:38 a.m. Emergency responders transported her to a local hospital, but her injuries proved to be fatal.
The investigation into Delaka Augins' murder launched a sprawling inquiry by the Baltimore Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that would ultimately unravel a larger criminal enterprise. Ballistic evidence from the firearm used in her homicide became a crucial thread, linking her death to a string of other violent crimes that had been plaguing Baltimore City and the surrounding county. Investigators meticulously pieced together evidence from numerous surveillance videos, witness statements, and other investigative techniques to identify the individuals responsible. Their efforts uncovered a criminal organization involved in a terrifying spree of at least 35 carjackings, eight attempted carjackings, two attempted murders, and several commercial robberies that victimized over 80 people between April 2022 and August 2023.
The breakthrough in the case came with the indictment of six individuals connected to this violent crime ring. Four adults were identified as Anecio Rodriguez, Lovelle Little, Twan Ellis, and Kevin Mills. Rodriguez faces a staggering 156 counts, including the first-degree murder of Delaka Augins. Little is charged with 269 counts, Mills with 86, and Ellis with 67, all including charges related to their participation in the criminal gang, armed carjacking, armed robbery, assault, burglary, and various firearms offenses. Two other suspects are minors, with one being too young to be tried as an adult and is being handled in the juvenile court system. The group was known to target individuals who had just parked their cars, were walking to or from their homes, or were getting gas, often approaching them with masks and dark clothing, brandishing handguns, and threatening their lives. During the investigation, searches led to the recovery of firearms, documents belonging to victims, clothing worn by the suspects, and numerous keys to stolen vehicles.
