PHILADELPHIA (August 8, 2022) — Xavier Veney (DOB: 12/30/1998) and Sabir Scott (DOB: 3/22/1996) were convicted last week for their roles in non-fatal shootings committed in the city’s Overbrook and Mantua sections in 2018 and 2019, District Attorney Larry Krasner and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Gun Violence Task Force announced today. The convictions occurred after a Philadelphia Grand Jury indicted the two men in December of last year.Veney committed the first shooting incident on the evening of August 30, 2018, when he shot two males on the 900 block of Flanders Road in Overbrook as part of a street group-related dispute. The two males were treated for their gunshot wounds at Lankenau Medical Center and survived. Investigators linked this shooting to Veney with the assistance of a cooperating witness and social media surveillance. Veney was convicted of two counts of Aggravated Assault (F1) and one count of Firearms Not to Be Carried Without a License – 6106 (F3).
The second shooting incident occurred on July 30, 2019, and involved Veney and co-conspirator Sabir Scott. Veney and Scott, who are known to be “the muscle” of the street group with which they affiliate, opened fire on a 54-year-old male on the 3900 block of Fairmount in the city’s Mantua section in retaliation for recent shootings from a rival street group operating in the area, a neighborhood also known as “the Bottom”. The victim, who was mistakenly identified as belonging to the rival group, was treated for his injuries at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and survived. Investigators were able to link Veney and Scott to this shooting with information provided by cooperating witnesses, surveillance video, cell site and call detail record analysis, and additional sophisticated investigatory measures including police license plate scanners and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is often used by law enforcement to link fired cartridge casings to crimes when crime guns have not been recovered.
Veney was convicted of one count of Aggravated Assault (F1), one count of Conspiracy (F1), and one count of Firearms Not to Be Carried Without a License – 6106 (F3) for his role in the shooting. Scott was convicted of one count of Conspiracy (F1), one count of Prohibited Possession of a Firearm – 6105 (M1), and one count of Firearm Not to Be Carried Without a License – 6106 (F3).“I’m grateful to Gun Violence Task Force Assistant Supervisor Jeffrey Palmer, Philadelphia Police investigators assigned to the GVTF, and those who served on the 30th Investigating Grand Jury for their hard work that brought Mr. Veney and Mr. Scott to justice,” said DA Krasner. “The reckless disregard for life and public safety exhibited by these two defendants will not be tolerated. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who commit violent offenses will be held appropriately accountable.”
“I want the residents of West and Southwest Philadelphia, as well as the victims of gun violence who live in those communities, to know that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Gun Violence Task Force will continue to bring drivers of gun violence to justice,” said Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Palmer. “And to those who think it is okay to terrorize residents and wantonly disregard public safety, know that the GVTF and Philadelphia Police Department will hold you accountable.”“I commend ADA Jeffrey Palmer and the Gun Violence Task Force for putting these very difficult cases together as well as the Southwest Division Detectives assigned to the Gun Violence Task Force for their hard work and dedication,” said Capt. Johnny Walker, Commanding Officer of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Shooting Investigations Group (SIG). “We will not relent until we get these shootings down to zero. To the residents of these communities hard hit by gun violence, you have every right to walk down the street free of fear. Your children have every right to play free of fear. But in order to improve your quality of life, we need your help to bring perpetrators of violence to justice.”Additional prosecutions involving defendants related to these street groups are forthcoming.
CONTACT:Dustin Slaughter, 215-686-8713, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.