2 out on felony bonds arrested in killing of New Orleans detective.
Both of the suspects in the Galleria-area killing were out on felony bonds
In the hours before a vacationing New Orleans police detective was fatally shot outside a Galleria-area restaurant, the two men now arrested and charged in his death are believed to have stalked other potential robbery victims nearby, with one suspect reportedly stealing a man’s watch.
Investigators tied a silver Nissan Altima with paper plates to both daytime crimes last Saturday, one on a quiet side street around 3:45 p.m. and the other about two hours later on the Grotto Ristorante patio as patrons gathered for dinner.
One of the suspects, Anthony Jenkins, a documented gang member with the Young Scott Block crew, was charged in connection to the earlier theft and the deadly botched robbery at the eatery. One of the gunmen told the diners — officer Everett Briscoe and Dyrin Riculfy among them — to hold up their hands. By all accounts, the patrons complied. Another suspect opened fire, killing Briscoe and critically wounding Riculfy.
Riculfy, a livery businessman with six children, remains hospitalized.
Jenkins, 21, and a second suspect, Frederick Jackson, 19, were arrested and charged this week with capital murder and attempted capital murder in connection to the Aug. 21 shooting. Both men were out on felony bonds at the time, court records show.
A third man, possibly a person of interest, is being sought, authorities said. Jenkins was the driver in the earlier theft and had two men with him, court records show.
Jenkins and Jackson were captured on surveillance footage in the Galleria area prior to the fatal shooting, presumably following people to rob them, Houston police Lt. John Galin said Friday at a news conference.
“In my opinion, they were targeting people for high-end jewelry,” Galin said, adding that nothing was taken from Briscoe or others at the restaurant.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg suggested the suspects may have been robbing people as an attempt to collect bond money for other crimes.
The robbery prior to Briscoe’s death happened behind the “Johnny Dang & Co.” jeweler on Richmond, according to court records. The stolen watch turned out to be a counterfeit Richard Mille, records show.
The suspects are likely behind several other Galleria-area crimes, according to police.
Investigators were unsure which of the suspects opened fire on Briscoe and Riculfy — who were among several members of the New Orleans-based fraternal group, the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, visiting Houston.
The firearm used in the shooting has not been found. Investigators, however, seized the Nissan Altima during Jenkins’ arrest Wednesday in south Houston. Police apprehended Jackson on Thursday during a traffic stop.
Criminal backgrounds
Prior to the capital murder charge, Jenkins had one prior arrest in Harris County. He is also facing a tampering with evidence and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon charge for the earlier theft.
Referred, at times, in court documents as “Lil Snag,” the gang member had been free since July on a $40,000 bond after his arrest on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In that case, he and another man threatened a woman with guns to glean her cousin’s whereabouts, according to authorities.
Jackson’s criminal record is more extensive, with repeat bookings and releases, as well as bond violations that resulted in $270,000 in bail forfeitures, court records show. A prior juvenile conviction resulted in a four-year determinate sentence in 2017.
He was charged in August 2020 with misdemeanor evading arrest and felony burglary of a building. Another misdemeanor charge, felony aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, and misdemeanor burglary followed.
He was jailed for a more extensive period this year after failing to appear in Judge Abigail Anastasio’s court, until he posted a combined bail of $180,000 on the felonies in June.
Anastasio’s court eventually denied bail for Jackson on Aug. 11, about a week before the Grotto Ristorante killing. Pre-trial services monitors said he had repeatedly violated the terms of his 24hour house arrest, leaving and entering the residence without approval on a daily basis.
Ogg said during the news conference Friday that he had cut off his ankle monitor.
The district attorney’s office is also considering the death penalty in the capital cases, she said.
Todd Alan Ward, who represents Jackson on several counts, will likely turn the capital murder cases over to a new attorney.
Ward noted that Anastasio revoked Jackson’s bonds twice.
“He just made the bonds,” Ward said. “Where he got the money to make those bonds … is beyond me.”
Jackson was slated on Friday night to appear in probable cause court, while Jenkins is scheduled Monday.
‘He was spot-on’
News of the arrests trickled into New Orleans as officials there held a memorial service for the 13year veteran Briscoe — and handed out sandbags for the looming Hurricane Ida, which is poised to hit the Louisiana coast.
The shooting enraged the Houston Police Department in the days that followed for the brazen randomness amid an alarming nationwide rise in violent crimes. The victims — vacationers from New Orleans — did not know their assailants.
Police Chief Troy Finner stopped talking for several seconds during the news conference as he spoke of his friend, New Orleans police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson. Finner is slated to attend Briscoe’s burial on Saturday.
“I know he’s hurting,” Finner said, appearing to be taken aback with emotion. The two police leaders are longtime friends. “They’ve got a storm approaching and then he’s got to deal with all this.”
Mayor Sylvester Turner turned his thoughts to the suspects and whatever may have provoked them to commit the crimes.
“There’s no justification that you can give me for wanting to rob someone,” Turner said.
Few details were publicly known about the suspects — save for grainy surveillance footage of the vehicle and two men in sweatshirts — until after their arrests. A tip to Crime Stoppers of Houston helped in leading investigators to the two men, officials said.
Whether that tipster would be eligible for a $100,000 reward that accumulated through pledges, including billionaire Tilman Fertitta, has yet to be determined, officials said. Fertitta owns the restaurant where Briscoe and Riculfy were shot.
“We are currently awaiting confirmation from law enforcement regarding which tip or tips led to the arrest of one or both of the suspects currently in custody,” according to Crime Stoppers of Houston.
The mayor said Finner had an inkling as early as the weekend who was behind the killing.
“He was spot-on,” Turner said.