The older Blackwell, 24, has been convicted of drug distribution. The brothers' father, Steven Blackwell Sr., 48, is serving a 10-year sentence in federal prison for heroin offenses, according to court records.
Police suspect that a triple shooting April 11 - in which Anthony Izzard, 25, was killed - might be connected to the fallout from the kidnapping. Izzard was shot about 9 p.m. in the 1700 block of W. Lexington St. in the city's Franklin Square neighborhood.
At Izzard's funeral, 10 days later, gunfire erupted shortly after noon, outside Unity United Methodist Church in West Baltimore, as mourners listened to an anti-violence sermon inside. Two men were found shot - Michael Ellerby, 24, and Derrell Mack, 29. Ellerby died later that day at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
Then, last Friday, Quinton Hogan, 23, who police believe was connected with the Blackwells, and Donell Rogers, 21, were killed shortly after Hogan appeared in District Court.
Hogan had been charged with several traffic violations and illegal possession of a handgun, court records show, after he was alleged to have crashed into a car containing two adults and two children June 24. But his 8:30 a.m. court hearing July 25 was postponed at the state's request, records show.
At 9:45 a.m., Hogan and Rogers were ambushed three blocks south of the courthouse on Wabash Avenue, near a stoplight at West Rogers Avenue, according to police.
A small white sedan pulled up next to them, and a gunmen fired several shots at their black, late-model Jeep Cherokee, police said. The sport utility vehicle accelerated and crashed into a Ford Escort driven by a woman in her 80s. The Cherokee continued to accelerate, pushing the Escort over a median strip, into oncoming traffic and across West Rogers Avenue, into a light pole, police said.
Both Hogan and Rogers were killed. The woman suffered minor injuries.
One of the more recent slayings police believe might be connected to the Blackwell kidnappings happened Tuesday evening. About 6 p.m., Troy Wilson, 17, was placing items in a car when a gunman approached him and shot him in the upper body, city police said. Police believe he might have been associated with the Blackwells.
After Wilson fell to the street, the gunman stood over him and shot him at least one more time before fleeing, police said. He was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Hospital 20 minutes later, police said.
As of yesterday evening, police had not made arrests in any of the five cases suspected of being connected to the Blackwell kidnappings.
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