Eighteen reputed gang members in Brooklyn, some of whom are only teenagers, face a slew of serious criminal charges connected to 12 shootings that left two people dead and 10 others injured.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and the NYPD announced Wednesday against members of the H-Block/Billy’s Gang and Gates Fam Street, whom they say are responsible for many high-profile shootings in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn dating back to the summer of 2021.
Of the 12 people killed or wounded in the shootings, prosecutors said, eight of them were bystanders caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It’s a sad and shocking reality that the leading cause of death among children and teens in America is now gun violence,” Gonzalez told a room full of reporters at his office in Downtown Brooklyn. “Most of the defendants in this case were, in fact, teenagers when they allegedly committed the charged crimes.”
Perhaps the most shocking thing about the case is the suspects’ ages; none of the defendants are older than 23 years of age, and one suspect is just 16.
Gonzalez showcased several videos which depicted some of the horrific acts of gun violence.
One showed a group of young males firing a barrage of shots at a family of four who rode inside a Dodge Charger near Faragut Place and East 32nd Street at about 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2022. Gonzalez said the suspects opened fire on the family because the driver slowed down near them.
Somehow, all four family members escaped injury even as numerous bullets had penetrated their vehicle.
In a second case, at about 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 2, 2023 near Chauncey Street and Stuyvesant Avenue, two gang members got into a dispute that ended with a man being shot in the shoulder. The victim wound up driving himself to a local hospital for treatment; he was subsequently charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to run over his rival.
Cops also state that several suspects were also connected to the shooting deaths of 16-year-old Nayshawn Campbell and Jaquan Gaus, also 16, were among those cuffed. Campbell was shot and killed near a Brownsville school in June 2022, while Gaus was gunned down in August 2021 in East New York.
“These cases have a profound influence upon depleting violence and while even one shooting is far too many, and we won’t ever stop until gun violence is completely eliminated,” NYPD Assistant Chief Jason Savino said. “All of our community members deserve and are entitled to enjoy a quality life. One that is free from any fear of gunfire.”
Along with arresting the 18 indicted suspects, police also recovered 15 firearms from their possession.
The suspects were identified as follows:
H-Block/Billy’s: Nyshaun Perry, 20; Demitri JeanJacques, 18; Isaiah Charles, 17; Jamouri Foster, 17; Damian Nickelson, 17; Jayden Clarence, 16; Shamari Griffith, 21; Malcolm Davis, 19; Shamar Dudley, 20; Derrick Prescod, 20; Dushaun Johnston, 23; Kymani Glenn, 22; Jahnie Cox, 21; Michael Hammond, 20; and Jaiden Jefferies, 18.
Gates Fam/Gotti Gang: Gyasi Shury-Muse, 21; Kaevon Mitchell, 19; and David Robinson, 21.
