Bloods Gang Member Sentenced To 30 Years In Federal Prison After Advanced Ballistic Technology Ties Shell Casings At Murder Scenes To Defendant’s Firearms

DENVER – David Scott, age 28, of Denver, was sentenced late last week by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer to serve 360 months (30 years) in federal prison for using firearms during crimes of violence, specifically two murders, announced U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn and ATF Denver Special Agent in Charge David Booth.  Scott appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, and was remanded at its conclusion. 

Scott was identified as the individual who was responsible for multiple shootings, including 2 murders, in part because of ATF and Denver’s NIBIN ballistic technology, where spent bullet casing found at the scene are processed and matched to a specific gun.  Law enforcement continue to investigate Scott to determine if he was involved in other gang related murders.

According to stipulated facts contained in Scott’s plea agreement, Scott is a member of the Park Hill Crenshaw Mafia Gangster (“CMG”) Bloods gang, which is a criminal organization whose members and associates engage in acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, extortion, and narcotics distribution.  Park Hill CMG Bloods gang members and associates use intimidation, violence, and threats of violence in order to preserve, expand, and protect their claimed territory, as well as to enhance the reputation of an individual member or associate, as well as the organization, within the community. 

The Park Hill CMG Bloods have an ongoing feud with several Denver street gangs, including various sets of the Crips gang.  As part of this feud, on November 23, 2014, the defendant, with other Park Hill CMG Bloods gang members, traveled to the Beach Nightclub where a large number of Crip gang members were anticipated to attend a concert.  The defendant and fellow Park Hill CMG Bloods gang members went to the nightclub to initiate a conflict with Crip gang members.  The defendant and other Park Hill CMG Bloods gang members possessed firearms in anticipation of this conflict.  As Crip gang members left the nightclub, the defendant shot another gang member at close range, killing him.  Once Scott fired his weapon, both Crip and Park Hill CMG Bloods gang members began firing at each other.  Three additional people were shot in this firefight and law enforcement recovered thirty expended ammunition casings from the parking lot.  

Bullet shells collected at the scene were processed through the ATF’s NIBIN (National Database of Digital Images Of Spent Bullets and Cartridge Cases) which matched up with Scott’s firearm. NIBIN is a national database of digital images of spent bullets and cartridge cases that were found at crime scenes or test-fired from confiscated weapons. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) manages the system and provides the equipment to crime labs around the country, including the Crime Gun Intelligence Center located within the Denver Crime Lab. A firearms examiner uses ballistic imaging to convert the spent rounds into two- or three-dimensional digital images that are uploaded into NIBIN.

On the evening of November 24, 2014 through the early morning hours of November 25, 2014, the defendant drove to various locations in the Denver metro area with a Crip gang member.  They engaged in at least two street robberies that night.  At one point, the men traveled to a motel where the defendant met with various Crip members.  When the defendant left the motel, he drove the other man to a location to be dropped off.  When the man exited the vehicle, the defendant followed him.  Scott retrieved a firearm from his waistband and shot the man, killing him.  Law enforcement recovered two expended firearm casings from the area around the dead man’s body.  These shell casings came from the same firearm used by the defendant to kill the other man the day before.

“The defendant deserves every day he will serve in prison because of his callous disregard for human life combined with his life as a member of a violent criminal street gang,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.  “Thanks to the ATF, our local law enforcement partners as well as prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the many victims of David Scott have found justice.”

“ATF and our law enforcement partners will use every resource available to protect our communities from violence,” said ATF Denver Special Agent in Charge David Booth.  “These partnerships combined with NIBIN are an extremely effective tool to protect the public and fight violent crime.”

This case was investigated by the ATF with substantial assistance from the Denver Police Department and RAVEN (the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network).  The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Celeste Rangel with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Sibert, Rebecca Weber, and Emily Treaster.