A suspected gang member known as “Baby Knight” has been arrested and will face assault and attempted murder charges in connection with a drive-by shooting that wounded two girls two weeks ago, authorities said Monday.
Witnesses heard a reference to a gang name shouted from a Dodge sedan after a half-dozen bullets were fired at a northeast Denver housing complex.
The suspected driver of the vehicle, 18-year-old Miguel David “Baby Knight” Sanders of Denver, will appear Wednesday in district court to be advised of criminal charges including two counts each of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and “crime of violence” counts to enhance potential penalties.
Sanders turned himself in to Denver police Wednesday after learning that an arrest warrant was out for him, according to Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. He is in Denver County’s jail on $200,000 bond.
On March 29, Karina Padilla, 14, and Yazmine Sandate, 6, were struck by bullets as they sat near the back patio of their home in the 2800 block of East 37th Avenue. Yazmine was wounded in the leg and Karina in the pelvic area, and both are expected to recover.
Detectives were led to Sanders, described in the affidavit as a gang member, when a witness pointed him out in a photograph lineup, authorities said.
Another suspect in the shooting, Mark Marquise Davis, 19, of Denver was arrested a few days after the shooting on an unrelated traffic warrant, but he has since been released from jail.
Davis had boasted that he had gone to East 37th Avenue and Columbine Street to shoot “Tre Tre” Gangster Crips, according to the arrest affidavit.
DA’s spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough said no charges have been filed against Davis.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
