Kriti Mehrotra
There was a sense of terror across the cities of Dania Beach, Hollywood, and Lauderhill in South Florida back in 2015, as at least 49 violent crimes were reported within a period of 6 months. As explored in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Feds: Gangbusters,’ these spanned everything from armed robberies to assaults and from drive-by shootings to execution-like homicides. It ultimately came to light that the local Onsight Gang was behind a lot of these offenses, including the fatal or near-fatal attacks on Zoe Gotti, AJ Bosfield, Eddie Johnston, and Cory Billings.
Onsight Gang’s Targets Were Always Brazenly, Heinously Shot At
While not a lot of details are publicly available about Zoe Gotti, including his real name, it has been alleged that he was a small-time drug dealer around Lauderhill Hills and a proud family man. It was thus supposed to be a typical Saturday afternoon of him watching his children’s peewee league football matches in a park on October 3, 2015, but everything soon changed. Several gunmen suddenly showed up in broad daylight with no face coverings, beelined towards him among 300 people, and then shot him point-blank before stealing his money and fleeing.
Zoe, fortunately, survived the two bullet wounds to his stomach, according to the aforementioned original, but officials found it strange that no one came forward to identify his assailants. Little did anybody know that a month later, on November 3, 2015, Antaeous Jovan “AJ” Bosfield would be gunned down in a similar manner inside his Hollywood, Florida, home. He had allegedly gone down the wrong path in life following a difficult upbringing, yet he cooperated when a couple of gunmen showed up at his place demanding drugs as well as money. As per witnesses, he was following their orders to a tee, but it ultimately didn’t matter as they still placed him on the ground in his room and opened fire before fleeing the scene.
AJ was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, with authorities later asserting he had essentially been executed by the robbers for no good reason, as he wasn’t a threat to anyone. It was 24 hours later when an eerily similar shooting occurred in the garage of drug dealer Roger McCollough, yet this time, there was collateral damage as two of his friends were also hurt. Roger and Veronica Gilchrist survived, but the attack took the life of Donald “Eddie” Johnston, the proud son of police employees, a loving brother, and a pillar of the community. The young 20-something-year-old died in the hospital on November 6, 2015. Then there was the November 25 case of Hollywood drug dealer Cory Billings, where intruders opened fire on him and his dog during a home invasion/robbery despite his cooperation. He was hit at least 8 times while he lay on the ground and suffered brain damage, but he initially made it through the ordeal. He passed away years later in 2024.
Authorities Were Quick to Figure Out That The Onsight Gang Was Behind the Crimes
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office was being slammed with one case after another within a short period in late 2015, with many bearing similarities in terms of the brutality behind them. Thus, the FBI agreed to take over, leading to even more extensive inquiries into each of the 49 heinous criminal matters they were handed. These included the attacks of Zoe Gotti, AJ Bosfield, Eddie Johnston, and Cory Billings in October-November, which proved crucial as officials were able to find a connection through shell casings. In each of these ordeals, the cartridges of the same 9mm handgun and a .380 caliber weapon were uncovered, making it clear they were all carried out by the same people.
Investigators also hypothesized that these criminals were out for more than just drugs or money; they were looking to make a name for themselves, and they were looking for street credit. They even noticed that not only were the targets primarily individuals already on the other side of the law, but the crimes were also committed in areas where people didn’t trust the police enough to talk to them, even if they were witnesses. Therefore, they believed this entire operation was the work of a few gunmen, which was backed when they uncovered footage of Cory’s attack through the security cameras he had at home.
It took some time, but with forensic analysis of the footage and the online footprints of local criminals/suspects, it was ascertained that the Onsight Gang was responsible for the reign of terror in South Florida at the time. The FBI then believed career criminal Eric Hunter to be at the helm, arranging, conspiring, and orchestrating all the criminality to be carried out “without hesitation” or “on sight.” As for the people most often tasked with handling the dirty work, they were identified as local fellow career criminals: Derrick “Solja” Slade, Marcello Gordon, Gregory “Gucci Greg” Stickney, and Collice Reid.
Eric Hunter, Derrick Slade, and Marcello Gordon Remain Incarcerated in State Prison
On December 3, 2015, Eric Hunter and Derrick Slade were arrested during a routine traffic stop and charged with possession of a firearm, as they had a .380 caliber handgun in the car. The latter had reportedly already been convicted of murder at the age of 14/15, so the gun charge was enough to hold him for long, but the former was released in March 2017. It’s also imperative to note that the weapon recovered matched the weapon used in the murder of AJ Bosfield, the attempted murder of Cory Billings, and allegedly several other drive-by shootings. Later on, cell phone records of texts, locations, and images confirmed that Eric and Marcello had a 9mm weapon on them around the time of the crimes in late 2015. According to records, the former was arrested again in September 2018, whereas the latter was arrested in January 2016.
Therefore, to prove they were an organized crime group that benefited from their actions, the FBI chose to prosecute them not for murder but under the umbrella of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO). They also arrested Gregory and Collice for their association with the Onsight Gang, but it was the survivors as well as witnesses who ultimately, bravely came forward to identify the assailants who made the case. After all, while Marcello admitted in 2019 that they were a gang that raided the homes of local drug dealers for narcotics, jewelry, and cash without hesitating about violence, the witnesses served as further proof.
It was in October 2021 when Eric, Derrick, and Gregory were finally arraigned in federal court on charges of RICO conspiracy, Hobbs Act conspiracy, conspiracy to use or carry a firearm during a crime of violence, and other related offenses. On the other hand, Collice was only charged with aiding and abetting the use of a firearm that resulted in the death in connection with Eddie’s November 2015 homicide. In the end, while Collice and Derrick were convicted of the charges against them in 2023 with the help of Marcello’s testimony, Eric, Marcello, and Gregory eventually pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.
Thus, today, 33-year-old Marcello is incarcerated at the maximum-security United States Penitentiary in Allenwood to carry out his 34-year term. However, as of writing, it appears as if he is expected to be released on parole on March 19, 2029. At the age of 33, Eric is also serving his 39-year sentence in a maximum-security federal prison, whereas Derrick was released from government custody in June 2022 to serve out the remainder of his two life terms plus a 30-year sentence in state prison. The 32-year-old is currently incarcerated at the medium-security Graceville Correctional Facility in Jackson County, Florida.
Read More: Eric “Easy” Greene: Where is the Killer Now?
