A suspected gang member accused of murdering his friend on Long Island has been arrested and charged with murder after five years on the run, authorities announced Wednesday.
Ramel Ferguson, 29, was wanted for the killing of 31-year-old Karson Banks in Hempstead on Oct. 5, 2020. He was finally arraigned in the case on Tuesday, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a press release.
“As law enforcement closed in on him, Ferguson finally gave himself up to police to face prosecution for allegedly taking Karson Banks’ life,” Donnelly said. “No matter how much time has passed, my homicide prosecutors never give up on a case.”
On the night of the killing, Banks was sitting in his car about 20 miles west of Central Park when Ferguson walked up to the side and fired four bullets at close range, killing him, according to investigators. Ferguson then fled the scene and left the state.
Ferguson was featured on an episode of “Maryland’s Most Wanted” in 2021, with cops speculating he fled to the Baltimore area due to his ties to the region. At the time, police described him as a Bloods gang member who had turned on a friend and was on the run from the gang and police.
“He will probably do anything he can to evade capture or to save his own life if someone else is looking for him that’s not members of law enforcement,” U.S. Marshal Tony Gause told Baltimore Fox affiliate WBFF.
Authorities did not release details on Ferguson’s capture. He was held without bail following his arraignment.
