A story of broccoli, marijuana and guns elicited one of the great headlines in recent memory. The Sacramento Bee, reporting on a drug deal that ended in gunfire when the dealer tried for a second time to substitute broccoli for weed, titled their article, “They bought $10,000 worth of pot, but it was broccoli. Then came the gunfire.”
The Colorado 18th Judicial District District Attorney’s office reported what happened in Aurora, Colorado:
On March 14, 2016, Tercell Davis (a drug dealer who went by the name 22 Jump Street) accepted $10,000 in exchange for what was supposed to be marijuana. It was actually broccoli purchased at a nearby store just hours before. The purchasers did not realize they had been duped until they had driven away. The next night the two purchasers arranged another buy under a different name, hoping either to get their money back or get the marijuana.
At the second meeting, Davis was accompanied by Sababu Colbert-Evans, 26, of Aurora. Davis tried to substitute broccoli again, but that precipitated an argument. Colbert-Evans and Davis fired 11 shots at the buyers, who fled from the scene; one buyer was hit in the torso but later recovered.
In May, Colbert-Evans was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder and sentenced to the mandatory minimum sentence of 16 years in the Department of Corrections; he was also found guilty of attempted second-degree murder, distributing an imitation controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute an imitation controlled substance, and reckless endangerment.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Mauro stated, “The defendant’s decision to open fire in the mall parking lot during business hours could easily have seriously injured or killed people arriving at or departing from the mall — which included adults and children. The verdict and sentence in this case represent a just outcome.”
District Attorney George Brauchler added, “Once again, violent crime is associated with the illegal transaction of marijuana. Legalizing recreational marijuana has not yet eliminated the criminal element surrounding it. This may be the first time that broccoli has been bad for someone’s health. And no matter the reason, anyone who is convicted of trying to murder someone in our community will go to prison.”