On a summer afternoon in Baltimore, Maryland, 27-year-old Bryan Jesse McKemy was diligently working on a home renovation project, tragically unaware that his life was about to be cut short in a burst of senseless violence. On that fateful day, August 7, 2018, the construction worker was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting. Bryan, a graduate of Sparrows Point High School, was known for his love of bowling and scuba diving, and for the time he cherished with his niece and
nephew.
He and a colleague were repairing a back door when members of the Black Guerilla Family gang unleashed a spray of gunfire at the residence. The intended target was the owner of the home, who was embroiled in a gang rivalry. Bryan was struck multiple times and succumbed to his injuries at the scene, an innocent bystander in a conflict that was not his own. His father was summoned by a frantic call from his wife and had to identify his son by a tattoo of praying hands on his body.
The investigation into Bryan's murder eventually led authorities to Wayne Prince, a member of the BGF gang. In the wake of the shooting, Bryan's family grappled with their profound loss, relentlessly seeking justice for his untimely death. Their quest for answers was amplified by the FBI's offer of a $25,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest.
Ultimately, Wayne Prince was apprehended and pleaded guilty to charges of gang conspiracy and racketeering. At the time of the shooting, Prince was 18 years old. During the sentencing, the judge condemned the crime as 'utterly, completely senseless.' Prince received a sentence of 28 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised probation. Before the sentence was handed down, he offered a brief apology to the McKemy family. The sentencing brought a measure of legal closure, but for Bryan's family, the pain of their loss endures.
