Demetris Kewan Mackie, Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition, Florida 2023

MIAMI – Demetris Kewan Mackie, 29, of Miami, will spend the next three decades in federal prison for a brazen eight-day crime spree that left one man injured and terrorized the city. Mackie was sentenced to 30 years, followed by five years of supervised release, after a jury convicted him in October 2023 of unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as an armed career criminal.

The evidence presented at trial painted a disturbing picture of escalating violence. On April 12, 2023, Mackie ambushed a man outside a Miami laundromat, pistol-whipping and then shooting him. Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) officers, responding to the scene, followed a trail of blood to the victim. The next day, the victim identified his attacker as a man with a distinctive silver-topped gun and a teardrop tattoo near his right eye – a description that matched Mackie.

Just three days later, on April 15th, Mackie struck again, this time in North Miami Beach. While the second victim escaped injury, they positively identified Mackie as the shooter. The pattern of violence was quickly becoming clear, and law enforcement was closing in. Both shootings involved the same weapon, a silver-topped firearm that would ultimately seal Mackie’s fate.

On April 20, 2023, MDPD officers finally apprehended Mackie. Crucially, he was found carrying the very gun used in both shootings. Ballistics testing confirmed that casings recovered from both crime scenes matched test-fired casings from the weapon in Mackie’s possession, cementing the case against him. The evidence was undeniable.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, jointly announced the sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II. The investigation was a collaborative effort, with ATF working alongside MDPD and NMBPD to bring Mackie to justice.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Keller and Vanessa Bonhomme secured the conviction and the lengthy sentence, sending a clear message that violent criminals preying on the citizens of South Florida will be held accountable. The 30-year sentence reflects the severity of Mackie’s actions and his status as a repeat offender, demonstrating the federal government’s commitment to curbing gun violence and protecting communities.

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