Triggering Event
On June 12, 1999, Myron “Wise” Hardy, brother of CMB leader Damion Hardy, was shot and killed during a turf dispute in Lafayette Gardens. Federal prosecutors stated that the shooter was Rumel Davis, nephew of rival dealer Ivery “Peanut” Davis.
Retaliation
Federal prosecutors alleged that Damion Hardy directed CMB members to retaliate against Ivery Davis and people associated with him. The resulting sequence included the June 15, 1999 killing of Jerrod “Kojack” Mackens; the June 10, 2000 killing of Darryl “Homicide” Baum; the August 1, 2000 killing of James “JR” Hamilton; the August 10, 2000 killing of Ivery Davis; and the July 25, 2003 killing of Tyrone Baum.
Geographic Spread
Most of the conflict centered on Brooklyn, particularly Lafayette Gardens and nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant locations, but the killing of Ivery Davis occurred outside a Manhattan nightclub. The event sequence therefore illustrates how neighborhood rivalries could generate violence beyond the immediate drug-sales territory.
Federal Case
The retaliation cycle became a core component of the CMB racketeering prosecution. Hardy and Granton were eventually convicted of multiple racketeering and murder offenses and sentenced to life imprisonment.