2ND INDICTMENT FILED IN A MONTH INVOLVING THE USE OF PERISCOPE APP TO LIVE STREAM CRIMES; DEFENDANTS SAID THEY WOULD SHOOT UP NEIGHBORHOOD WITH LOADED AR-15 GUN IF THEY GOT 100 VIEWS
Posted on 5/10/2016
Defendant: Yusuf Suliman Conteh and Damon Andrew Rosmond
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said, “Two young men who wanted attention through social media by live-streaming a statement that they would shoot up the neighborhood if they got to 100 views and handing a loaded AR-15 to a toddler, are now facing serious felony charges”. Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced today that the Franklin County Grand Jury has returned indictments against Yusuf Suliman Conteh, age 20, and a friend Damon Andrew Rosmond, age 20, in connection to the series of events that occurred late in the evening on February 21, 2016 starting at a home located on Wainwright Avenue in Columbus. “The two defendants were broadcasting live on Periscope, and stated that if they got to 100 views, they would take an AR-15 outside and empty the clip in the neighborhood,” O’Brien stated. “At one point in the live-stream, a toddler came into view of the camera and was handed the gun,” O’Brien further stated. After the views exceeded 100, the two men exited the residence and began driving in a vehicle. A citizen in another state was watching the live-stream and authorities were contacted. The Periscope App shows a map and the general area where different videos are being live-streamed, and the Columbus Police were able to locate the vehicle with the two men. The defendants have been indicted for one count of Improperly Furnishing Firearms to a Minor with Specification (F-5), one count of Endangering Children (M-1), one count of Inducing Panic (M-1), one count of Improperly Handling Firearms in a Motor Vehicle (F-4), and one count of Tampering with Evidence with Specification (F-3), for a total of five counts. “If Conteh and Rosmond are convicted for these charges, they each face a potential sentence in excess of five years in prison”, O’Brien stated.