Wayne Gregory Smith, a 31-year-old from Hallandale Beach, Florida, was shot on July 15, 2023, and succumbed to his injuries four days later on July 19, 2023. The incident was part of a series of violent crimes linked to a gang known as the Dania Hot Boyz, also referred to as Grand Mafia.
The investigation into Smith's death was part of a broader interagency operation conducted by the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) and other law enforcement partners.
This operation was triggered after Sigmund Brown’s fingerprint was recovered from a car connected to a homicide that occurred on January 20, 2024, at a Best Buy in Plantation. Brown, a leader of the Dania Hot Boyz gang, was identified as a key figure in the investigation.
The arrests of eight suspected gang members, including Brown, were announced in November 2023. These suspects were charged with various crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and racketeering. Among the suspects, Kevaris Johnson, Gerard Charles, and others were linked to multiple homicides and attempted murders throughout Broward County.
Smith’s case was one of the eight homicides solved during this investigation. The other homicides included the deaths of Wisdom Williams, Antjuan Dobard, Vernaldo Donner and Terri McKenzie, Dorothy Smart, Terrance Farrington Jr., and Johnnie Henderson. The investigation also resolved more than a dozen attempted murder cases.
The arrests brought a sense of closure to the families of the victims, including Smith’s. The community expressed gratitude for the relentless efforts of law enforcement in ridding the area of violent criminals and ensuring public safety. The suspects were scheduled for arraignment, with most entering not-guilty pleas, and the case is ongoing as part of the broader effort to combat gang violence in Broward County.
