Two more charged in shooting death of Durham boy

A grand jury on Monday indicted two men in the August shooting death of a 9-year-old Durham boy, police said.

Dival Nygee "Paco" Magwood, 21, and Derrick Lamont Dixon Jr., 27, are charged with first-degree murder, felony conspiracy to commit murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied property causing serious injury and three counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle or residence.

Both men are already in federal custody on unrelated charges.

Z'yon Person was shot in the forehead while riding in a car on Aug. 18 near the intersection of Duke and Leon streets on his way to get ice cream with his family. His 8-year-old brother was shot in the arm.

Antonio Nathaniel “Lil Tony” Davenport Jr., 24, was arrested last month on the same charges, as well as a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Davenport is a local hip hop star who performs with a group named The 83 Babies, which has released a music video and recorded several songs about gang violence and guns.

According to an application for a warrant to obtain Magwood's DNA, Durham police found him with a 9mm Ruger handgun, an empty box for a .40-caliber Glock handgun and a box of .40-caliber ammunition last month.

The missing Glock had been seized by Johnson C. Smith University police in Charlotte on Aug. 28 from a rented limousine after a "disturbance on campus," according to the warrant application. The 83 Babies had rented the limo for a trip from Durham to Charlotte, and campus police found two guns and marijuana inside after the group got into a dispute with people on campus.

Magwood is serving three years on probation after a December 2017 conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to state Department of Public Safety records. His current federal charge is being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records.

Dixon served almost five years in prison for a string of robberies and burglaries in 2011, DPS records show. He also faces a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records.

As part of the investigation, court records released on Magwood revealed disturbing information uncovered by the Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force. There are eight Trey Gangster Crips responsible for a significant portion of violent crime and drug distribution in the Durham area.

Durham Poilce Chief C.J. Davis talked recently about the gang problem in her city.

"We are seeing more gang activity (and) more violent gang activity then that eight-member unit can handle," Davis said.

According to Durham Police, from Oct. 1-Nov. 9, there have been two homicides, five robberies and 30 aggravated assaults.

As for curbing the crime in this community, police say they are enhancing their gang task force that will include two deputies from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, among other initiatives.

Z'Yon's death sparked intense discussions among Durham leaders about increasing gun violence in the city.