BOSTON, Feb. 23, 2018—A meticulous joint investigation by Boston Police and Suffolk prosecutors into retaliatory gun violence has led to the arrests of two alleged rivals from feuding Boston street gangs, Police Commissioner William B. Evans and District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Boston Police today arrested IMRAHOTEP WALLACE (D.O.B. 6/11/91) of Allston on a warrant charging him with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for allegedly taking part in a shooting in Roxbury last month. He will be arraigned later today at Roxbury Municipal Court.

Yesterday, Boston Police arrested MOSES JACOBS (D.O.B. 8/7/97) of Dorchester on a warrant charging him with armed assault with intent to murder, attempted assault and battery by discharging a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition for firing at a person in a vehicle on Trotter Court in a different encounter earlier this month.

Authorities say the Jan. 14 shooting on Shawmut Avenue and Feb. 1 attempted shooting on Trotter Court were among a series of violent crimes perpetrated by rival groups based in Roxbury and the South End against one another that date back at least five years. On Feb. 28, 2013, Jamel Bannister, who was affiliated with the South End group, murdered Courtney Jackson, who was affiliated with the Roxbury group.

Wallace – who was affiliated with Jamel Bannister and the South End group – allegedly opened fire on an 18-year-old Roxbury man on Shawmut Avenue. That victim, whom authorities believe was affiliated with Courtney Jackson and the Roxbury group, has not cooperated with the investigation into his shooting.

On Feb. 1, Jacobs allegedly fired multiple shots at a moving car on Trotter Court. Police and prosecutors allege that Jacobs associated with Roxbury group. To date, the intended target or targets of the shots fired on Trotter Court have not made themselves known to authorities.

“No one benefits from the cycle of violence and retaliation,” District Attorney Conley said. “Everyone loses – the perpetrator, the victim, and the community. Our goal in cases like these isn’t just to make arrests. Our goal is to prevent more shootings. The police and prosecutors who built these cases so painstakingly are doing it to save lives.”

“These types of incidents are often difficult to investigate,” Commissioner Evans said. “The lack of victim cooperation and witnesses can make these cases the most challenging for law enforcement. It is troubling when individuals think it is ok to pull out a gun and recklessly shoot on our streets with no regard for others. I commend the work of my detectives and investigators from the District Attorney’s office who worked tirelessly on these cases. The city is safer today with these two individuals in custody.”

Over the course of the past month, investigators undertook physical surveillance and scrutinized witness statements, ballistics evidence, social media posts on publicly-available accounts, RMV records, and footage from public safety cameras and private security systems. Suffolk prosecutors assigned to the DA’s Gang Unit worked alongside Boston Police detectives assigned to District D-4 and the Youth Violence Strike Force in an effort to build the most compelling cases possible against rival participants – and interrupt the cycle of their retaliatory violence. Members of the Northeastern University Police Department and MBTA Transit Police Department also assisted.

The investigation suggests that Wallace was behind the wheel of a 2016 Toyota Corolla on the morning of Jan. 14. Authorities alleged that Wallace was acting in a joint venture with a passenger in that vehicle when he circled a Shawmut Avenue block and pulled up near the 18-year-old victim so his passenger could shoot that victim in the back. Wallace then allegedly drove away from the scene.

The investigation further suggests that Jacobs fired multiple shots at a vehicle on Trotter Court about 7:20 am. Witnesses reported seeing a skinny, dark-skinned male wearing a dark jacket over a blue hooded sweatshirt running from the scene and dropping something as he fled. Boston Police responded to the scene and broadcast that information; a few minutes later and a short distance away, additional officers observed Jacobs wearing clothing that met this description. Officers noted that he was sweating, breathing heavily, and receiving multiple calls on his cell phone at the time, but had no weapons on him. After interviewing him at the scene, they released him as the investigation continued.

Throughout the day, investigators recovered two spent shell casings, a magazine loaded with five rounds of ammunition, and a handgun with a round jammed in the chamber, all in the vicinity of the scene. In the days that followed, they recovered video footage from cameras in the area that show Jacobs wearing the clothing described by witnesses in a store near the scene before the shooting, on Trotter Court at the time of the shooting, and running away from the scene after the shooting, and inside the Mass Ave MBTA station after being interviewed by police. The ballistics evidence has been submitted to the Boston Police Crime Laboratory for fingerprint testing.

“Retaliatory gun violence impacts our city too often,” Commissioner Evans said. “The work done on these cases is evidence of the commitment of my department and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office to keep our city safe. I acknowledge and thank all of our law enforcement partners who contributed to these investigations and the arrests of two dangerous individuals.”

“If you make the choice to pick up a gun, then you can make the choice to put it down,” Conley said. “Make the smart choice for yourself and the safe choice for our community. If you don’t, then we’re going to use every investigative strategy available to identify and prosecute you. It’s time for this cycle to end.”

Jacobs was arraigned yesterday in Roxbury Municipal Court and held on $100,000 cash bail. He was represented by attorney Earl Howard and will return to court on March 21. Wallace is expected to be arraigned in Roxbury later today.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.