Three New Jersey men are on trial for the fatal shooting of a bouncer during a 2020 robbery in Brooklyn’s underground gambling scene
The incident happened at a shady gambling spot called the “G Spot” in Brownsville. It turned into a chaotic scene with four people getting shot, including Rodney Maxwell, a 58-year-old security guard and father of three.
Maxwell had just recovered from COVID-19 earlier that year, only to lose his life months later due to gunshot wounds. The accused—Brian Castro, Musah Coward, and Charles Powell—are facing serious federal charges, and jury selection kicks off this Monday in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Coward, who allegedly has connections to the area, picked the gambling den as a target and drove the others there on October 7, 2020. There was a fourth guy involved, but his name is kept under wraps in court documents, and he’s said to be cooperating with the authorities.
Maxwell was working security that night, and when the robbers burst in, he tried to disarm one of them. Their struggle was caught on camera, and things escalated quickly. Castro came in and shot Maxwell in the back, but he didn’t back down.
Powell then started firing at people trying to escape, injuring three others. In the chaos, Maxwell continued to fight, but Powell shot him again, this time fatally.
Later, Castro bragged about the robbery while smoking in a car, calling it a “lick” and claiming they made off with $20,000. Unfortunately for him, his friend recorded the whole thing.
A detective recognized the suspects from surveillance footage, leading to Powell’s arrest after a car crash in 2021. Castro and Coward were arrested in March 2023.
The defense is trying to challenge the detective’s identification and argue that the killing wasn’t part of a robbery. They even suggested that Castro’s bragging was just to boost his reputation.
As of now, the lawyers for all three men have chosen not to comment on the case.
