The NYPD Gun Violence Suppression Division performed a massive gang takedown in the Bronx this week that put a prominent drill rapper and dozens of alleged trigger pullers behind bars, and amNewYork Metro was along for the ride getting an exclusive, inside look at the operation’s process.
The NYPD finished a 12-month-long investigation on July 31 by cuffing drill rapper Nay Benz and a slew of others allegedly involved in a string of shootings as part of the borough’s Slaughtery gang based in Slattery Park. The well-known drill rapper’s Instagram profile reads “I do not promote or partake in any gang violence.” High-ranking police officials say otherwise.
“Suck my d*ck!” Benz said as she was taken out of the 50th Precinct as part of a rowdy chain gang on Wednesday morning. But how did she wind up as a part of 22 suspects in cuffs?
It started 24 hours prior when cops began rounding up dozens of individuals they cite as trigger pullers who have not only put young children in danger from brazen gun violence but also have even committed murder.
According to Assistant Chief Jason Savino, the Slaughtery gang has been terrorizing the Bronx for several years, including the killing of 14-year-old Prince Shabazz. The criminal crew is not only accused of shooting their victims, but they also make music humiliating them after the bloody attacks.
“When you look at these videos, there is no remorse. There’s no regret and there’s really thinking about nobody except benefiting the gang. They are absolutely firing bullets without remorse, regret, and without regard for anybody that’s around,” Chief Savino said.
During the early hours of July 31 at an NYPD compound in the Bronx, cops from the Gun Violence Suppression Division and the Warrant Squad geared up. Donning bulletproof vests and helmets and grabbing shields, the cops quietly prepared for the pre-dawn raid.
Gathering in a circle and lit by the warm glow of floodlights, Deputy Inspector at the Gun Violence Suppression Division Craig Edelman spoke to his cops regarding the dangerous individuals they were about to take on. Edelman said that many of those involved are responsible for some 20 shootings in the borough that have left at least 10 people injured. The gunfire erupted near children in school buses and, in one incident resulted in a 9-year-old boy dialing 911 for help.
“A 9-year-old boy is calling because he is put in the line of fire in a schoolyard, and he is calling us so that makes you feel special,” Edelman said. “The people right here are the people who keep New York City safe.”
Immediately following several speeches, the task force was on their way, splitting up into several groups and racing to a slew of different locations. In one apartment armed officers recovered a gun, leading to the arrest of a suspected gang member and his 8-month pregnant girlfriend. At another location an individual spotted police coming and tried to toss a firearm from the window before swiftly being arrested.
When asked if they are trigger pullers, one of the suspects replied: “I don’t pull no triggers, the only thing I pull is your mother.”
Although the alleged gang members protested their innocence through explicit tirades while being whisked away in cuffs, the Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and the NYPD say they are some of the worst of the worst. Edelman charges that the shooters are so deeply embedded in gang violence that members even fortified their hideout in order to barricade themselves against cops and their rivals.
“They had the door fortified with a bedpost and drilled a hole to make sure that the police couldn’t get in, that’s how they were locking the door,” Edelman said. “You saw a dangerous situation where somebody could have got hurt.”
The investigation began in 2023 and was fast-tracked by police in order to apprehend what is being described as a small group who terrorized a borough. Drill rapper Nay Benz is allegedly chief among them. Benz’s music has about half a million views on social media, which she is accused of using in her rap to promote violence by critiquing her rivals and victims.
“Every single drill is exclusively about shooting the ops. And it’s really disparaging. You know, disgraceful if you will,” Chief Savino said. “They describe the way individuals fall when they’re shot. They describe individuals as they’re laying there, really clinging on to life, and disparaging remarks, and really mocking the opposing gangs.”
District Attorney Clark Along With Special Investigators And Detectives Thanked Each Department For Their Assistance In This Year-Long Investigation.
The alleged gang members include:
Israel Lugo Aka “Izzy” – 26 years old
Feenix Charley Aka “Fee/Fee Banga” –24 years old
Nasiem King Aka “Ebk” – 22 years old
Dayron Williams Aka “Dayryer” 22 years old
Nadine Asamoah Aka “Naybenz” -18,m years old
Joseph Illery Aka “Jojo” -20 years old
Shyhiem Martin Chambers Aka “Shyloso/Shy” -19, years old
Remanded Benito Buxton Aka “Nito” -19, years old
Clarence Roberts Aka “Rico” 18 years old
K. R. 17 ears old
Jahmeal Martin Weekes Aka “Mill” -23 years old
Brian Cespedes Aka “6shotz/Herbo” – 24 years old
Y.S. – 17 years old
G.M.—17 years old
E.L. -17 years old
J.L. – 16 years old
Briana Portalatin Aka “Brii Rose” -19 years old
Keith Douglas Aka “Polo” — 24 years old
Rodney Asamoah Aka “Roddy” -20 years old
Joseph Valdez Aka “Chucky Sb” – 25 years old
Read more: Three Arrested in Washington Heights Drive-By Shooting
