Second vigilante mom sentenced to 12 years for role in shooting of 2 teens in Columbia

A Howard County judge on Wednesday sentenced a mother to 12 years in prison for her role in the shooting of two teens in a Columbia shopping center parking lot in October 2024.

A jury found Wyketa Burgess, 40, guilty of two counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and multiple conspiracy and firearms offenses, according to a news release from the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said she and another mother conspired with a gunman to fire shots at a group of teenagers after one of their sons was the victim of an armed robbery.

“This is a very difficult case,” Howard County Circuit Court Judge Mary Kramer said before handing down the sentencing Wednesday afternoon.

“I want Ms. Burgess to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I want her to go home,” Kramer said. But at the same time, Kramer said, “we cannot tolerate active shooter situations.”

Burgess, speaking tearfully and with a shaky voice, asked the court for leniency while acknowledging that her heart goes out to the victims and their families.

Prosecutors had sought a 20-year prison sentence, while Burgess’s defense attorney had argued for seven years.

The Columbia resident’s sentence includes five years of supervised probation following her release from prison. Burgess also must serve at least 50% of her sentence because it was a crime of violence.

Just after 9 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2024, officers found two teenage boys with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to their legs in the 8800 block of Centre Park Drive, according to county police. The teens, both from Elkridge, were found lying in a grassy area between the Giant grocery store and the IHOP in Columbia Place Plaza, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Burgess’s sentencing comes roughly nine months after another mother, 48-year-old Dieneba Sekou Traore, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the shooting.

A jury convicted Traore, a Columbia resident, in July on two counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and multiple firearms and conspiracy offenses.

Howard County Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Vaira said that, while Burgess may not have been an equal participant in the incident from the beginning, the jury still found her guilty. Both women had no criminal record prior to the shooting, Vaira said.

“This is a tragic case, Your Honor,” Vaira said in court. “The impact this [shooting] has had on the community was great.”

Four days before the shooting, Traore reported to county police that her son was the victim of an armed robbery. Then Traore and Burgess “conspired with a gunman to target the individuals involved in the earlier incident” on Oct. 12, 2024, according to a news release.

The unidentified gunman waited outside the Giant grocery store in the shopping center for the two teenagers. Multiple rounds were fired as the teens attempted to flee, according to prosecutors.

County authorities determined that one of the wounded teenagers was involved in the armed robbery.

Burgess’s son, Jeron Oliver, spoke about his mother in the courtroom on Wednesday. Through tears, Oliver, 23, said this is the longest period of his life that he has been without his mom. Losing his younger brother in January 2025 and now being without his mother has weighed on Oliver greatly.

“I thank my mom for keeping me on track, for helping me be a good man,” Oliver said.

As court adjourned, Oliver said in the direction of his mom that he would see her later.

Banner reporter Lillian Reed contributed to this article.