Suspect in custody for shooting at Queens school that injured innocent teen

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/10/29/recen...-left-one-bystander-dead-appear-to-be-linked/

Suspect in custody for shooting at Queens school that injured innocent teen
By Tina Moore and Joe Marino
October 29, 2019 | 9:02am | Updated

The suspected gunman who wounded an innocent teen bystander outside a Queens school turned himself in on Tuesday — and cops believe the shooting is linked to another just two days earlier, sources said.

The identity of the alleged shooter was not immediately released, but a high-ranking police source said he surrendered at the 113th Precinct station house in connection to the incident outside New Dawn Charter School II in Jamaica on Monday.

Law enforcement sources said the intended target in that shooting — a 16-year-old boy — is believed to have been targeted in a separate incident on Saturday at Baisley Park Houses about two miles away.

Aamir “Buddy” Griffin, 14, was struck and killed by a stray bullet fired from more than 100 yards away at the NYCHA housing complex.

Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl was hit in the left shoulder after a group of teens jumped a 16-year-old boy just before 4 p.m. at the charter school.

Aamir Griffin


She was transported to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in stable condition. No firearm was recovered from the scene.

Police plan to transfer the suspect to the 103rd Precinct station house, which is the precinct where the school shooting occurred, according to the source.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/10/28/16-year-old-girl-struck-in-queens-school-shooting/

16-year-old girl struck in Queens school shooting
By Joe Marino, Tina Moore and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
October 28, 2019 | 5:26pm | Updated

A 16-year-old innocent bystander was wounded by a stray bullet Monday during a fight outside a Queens high school, police and sources said.

The trouble began when a group of teens jumped a 16-year-old boy during dismissal at the New Dawn Charter High School II in Jamaica, sources said.

“When I heard it I thought it was firecrackers from down the block — sounded like four or five shots,” said eyewitness Tony Augusto, who was coming out of work nearby when the shots rang out.

“By the screaming and people running like that, I’m thinking someone got hit, someone got hurt,” he said. “Unfortunately, it was a girl in this instance. These bullets don’t have names.”

Police are now looking for the shooter.

The incident comes two days after Aamir “Buddy” Griffin, 14, was shot and killed by a stray bullet at a Queens housing project.

Police said the shot that killed Griffin on the basketball court at Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica was fired from more than 100 yards away.

The girl was rushed to Long Island Jewish Medical Center following the 3:48 p.m. shooting, where she was listed in stable condition.

Police said her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/10/29/bullet-that-hit-teen-girl-in-queens-narrowly-missed-artery-uncle/

Bullet that hit teen girl in Queens narrowly missed artery: uncle
By Lorena Mongelli and Bruce Golding
October 29, 2019 | 7:07pm

The bullet that struck a 16-year-old girl outside her Queens high school narrowly missed an artery and remains lodged in her shoulder, an uncle told The Post on Tuesday.

“Right now, the doctors are trying to see what the best option is and whether they will do surgery or leave the bullet inside,” Parsham Ramchand said.

“She was hit near the shoulder, not too far from an artery. They said it’s good that there is no internal bleeding.”

Ramchand, 62, said he hasn’t yet seen his wounded niece, who’s recuperating at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Little Neck with her parents by her side.

“She is a good kid. She is a decent person. We know she’s not caught up in any trouble. I am shocked to hear that something like this can happen at the school. It is sad, not just for my family but for any child,” he said.

“We’re praying she’ll be OK.”

The girl was shot in the left shoulder around 3:55 p.m. Monday across the street from the New Dawn Charter High School II in Jamaica, according to the NYPD.

A 15-year-old boy surrendered for questioning Tuesday morning after cops released surveillance images of three “persons of interest” wanted in the shooting, law enforcement sources told The Post.

Detectives are investigating whether Monday’s incident is tied to the apparent stray-bullet slaying of Aamir “Buddy” Griffin, 14, while he was playing basketball at the Baisley Houses in Jamaica on Saturday, sources said.

The round that hit Griffin in the neck is believed to have been fired during a gang-related shooting more than 100 yards away, sources have said.

 

[The Bobster]

Teen makes false confession following NYC shootings, sources say

https://nypost.com/2019/10/30/teen-makes-false-confession-following-nyc-shootings-sources-say/

Teen makes false confession following NYC shootings, sources say
By Larry Celona, Bruce Golding and Tina Moore
October 30, 2019 | 5:49pm

A 15-year-old boy gave cops a false confession following a pair of recent Queens shootings, law enforcement sources told The Post on Wednesday.

The bogus claim of responsibility may have been motivated by a desire for “street cred,” sources said.

The teen also appeared to be “crazy” and a “kook,” sources said.

Although he was cleared in the shootings, the unidentified teen was charged with robbery in an unrelated case that’s going to be handled in Family Court, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said.

The teen turned himself in at the 113th Precinct in Jamaica on Tuesday morning and was moved to the 107th Precinct in Flushing, where he was questioned after a guardian arrived Tuesday night, sources said.

The teen told detectives that he was the gunman in at least one of the incidents, but an investigation proved otherwise, sources said.

He remained at the 107th Precinct late Wednesday afternoon, sources said.

“He’s a minor, so it takes longer to get him court ready,” one source said.

The teen surrendered after the NYPD circulated videos and images of three “persons of interest” in a Monday afternoon shooting that wounded 16-year-old Ashley Amoorgan outside the New Dawn Charter High School II, sources have said.

It’s unclear whether the teen is one of the three who were caught on camera, sources said.

Investigators have linked Amoorgan’s shooting to Saturday’s slaying of 14-year-old Aamir “Buddy” Griffin, who was shot while playing basketball at the Baisley Houses, Shea said.

Both victims were struck by stray bullets in an ongoing rash of violence between two rival groups of gun-toting teens, Shea said.

One group is composed of members of the Mac Baller Brims street gang, sources said.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/10/31/teen-arrested-in-girls-shooting-in-front-of-queens-school/

Teen arrested in girl’s shooting in front of Queens school
By Tina Moore and Yaron Steinbuch
October 31, 2019 | 7:47am | Updated

Ashley Armoogan


A 16-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder in a shooting that wounded a 16-year-old girl outside her school in Queens, police said Thursday.

The unidentified teen also faces two counts of assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon for the incident outside the New Dawn Charter High School II in Jamaica shortly before 4 p.m. Monday.

He and two other boys — a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old — also were arrested in a shooting that occurred an hour before Ashley Armoogan was struck by the stray bullet.

The earlier shooting took place on a bus, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said Thursday afternoon.

“We believe we know who they were shooting at on the bus. We believe we know who they were shooting at at the school,” Shea said.

Shea also described the investigation as “very fluid at this point and time” and said it was unclear whether the teens would be prosecuted as adults.

Amoorgan’s dad, Ravie Armoogan, told WPIX on Thursday that she is home from the hospital, but with the bullet still lodged in her shoulder because it is too close to a main artery to be surgically removed.

He said he’s grateful for the arrests, but added that “the only thing I care about is that my daughter’s home.”

Investigators have linked Ashley’s shooting to the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Aamir “Buddy” Griffin on a basketball court two miles away Saturday night.

He also was not the intended target during an ongoing rash of violence between two rival groups of gun-toting teens, Shea said on Wednesday.

One group comprises members of the Mac Baller Brims street gang, sources said.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/11/01/teen-...ooting-of-16-year-old-girl-held-without-bail/

Teen charged in stray-bullet shooting of 16-year-old girl held without bail
By Lorena Mongelli, Natalie Musumeci and Larry Celona
November 1, 2019 | 5:57pm

Caolynn Griffin-Bratton is driven out of the 113th Precinct in Queens on Thursday. Robert Mecea


The teen gangbanger accused in Monday’s stray-bullet shooting of a 16-year-old Queens girl was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Friday for attempted murder.

Caolynn Griffin-Bratton, 16, who also charged with gun possession and felony assault, pleaded not guilty — but a judge shot down his bid to go free with no bail and return home with his mother.

“There is gang affiliation,” prosecutor Tina Grillo told the judge in asking Griffin-Bratton be remanded.

The prosecutor noted to the judge the severity of the injuries caused when the teen allegedly opened fire Monday near New Dawn Charter High School II in Jamaica, shortly after classes let out.

Ashley Armoogan, 16, “has a bullet lodged in her shoulder near a major artery,” Grillo said.

The teen’s court-appointed lawyer, Garrett Austin, had asked Queens Supreme Court Justice Joseph Zayas to release the teen to the custody of his mother, who appeared in court on his behalf.

Austin argued that Griffin-Bratton attends the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety, and was making an effort to attend a court-ordered program, where “he had been showing signs of improvement.”

Still, the teen was reported missing by his mother recently, the lawyer conceded, and a warrant had been issued.

Griffin-Bratton has been a one-boy crime wave in Queens, officials allege.

He remains under investigation for his alleged involvement in two other recent gang-related shootings in that neighborhood.

An hour before Armoogan’s shooting, Griffin-Bratton and two other teen boys were allegedly involved in a shooting on a bus, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told reporters Thursday afternoon.

“We believe we know who they were shooting at on the bus. We believe we know who they were shooting at at the school,” Shea said.

On Saturday night, another stray bullet from what is believed to have been the same gang rivalry struck and killed innocent bystander Aamir “Buddy” Griffin, 14, as he played on a basketball court near his home, officials have said.

Mac Ballers is one of the gangs involved in the rivalry, Shea said Thursday.

Though only 16, Griffin-Bratton has an open prior case for a violent mugging that left a 14-year-old boy with multiple arm fractures, sources have told The Post.

His record also includes arrests for armed robberies of a bicycle, an Apple iPad and an iPhone and a bodega theft in the Rockaways.

 

[The Bobster]

Victim in late-night stabbing identified as Queens teen

https://nypost.com/2019/11/16/victim-in-late-night-stabbing-identified-as-queens-teen/

Victim in late-night stabbing identified as Queens teen
By Ruth Weissmann, Joe Marino and Larry Celona
November 16, 2019 | 5:48pm | Updated

A 17-year-old Queens girl was stabbed to death Friday night — hours after attending a memorial for a boy slain three weeks prior by a stray bullet , The Post has learned.

The two, Talasia Cuffie and Aamir Griffin, 14, lived in the same household and may be related. Investigators are looking to see if their deaths are connected, a law-enforcement source said.

Cuffie, of Queensbridge, lay on a Jamaica sidewalk for a half hour, dying from two stab wounds to her chest, before a neighbor heard her cries and called 911, the sources said, citing surveillance footage recovered later from the scene.

She was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Her attacker remained at large Saturday afternoon, but was captured on the surveillance video, cops said.

Cuffie was slain 21 days after Griffin — the son of a family that helped to raise her — was hit by a stray bullet in a possible gang dispute.

The promising basketball player was gunned down while shooting hoops outside the Baisley Park Houses.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: Victim in late-night stabbing identified as Queens teen

https://nypost.com/2019/11/22/aamir-griffins-family-friend-was-lured-to-her-death-court-papers/

Aamir Griffin’s family friend was lured to her death: court papers
By Anabel Sosa
November 22, 2019 | 5:26pm

A 17-year-old Queens girl who was stabbed to death hours after attending a memorial for her family friend, Aamir Griffin may have been a victim of a premeditated crime, according to police Friday.

Tyler Caldwell, 20, was arrested and charged on Tuesday in connection to the murder of Talasia Cuffie –- who was stabbed in the chest and groin on Friday, Nov. 15 just before 10 p.m. on 166th Street in South Jamaica, police said.

Cuffie was found laying on the sidewalk for a half-hour before a neighbor heard her cries for help and called 911, police said.

Caldwell faces charges of conspiracy and criminal facilitation for allegedly organizing via text message for Cuffie to meet up at an agreed-upon location –– where he knew the two suspects would be waiting, according to the criminal complaint.

One of the two suspects –– who police are still looking for –– wanted to fight Cuffie, having mentioned she wanted to stab the victim, according to the complaint.

“That bitch is dead. I poked her twice,” Caldwell alleges she told him the day following the stabbing.

The motive for Caldwell’s involvement is still under investigation.

Caldwell is set to appear back in court on Dec. 2.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2021/08/26/suspe...r-2019-stray-bullet-killing-of-aamir-griffin/

Suspect busted in California over 2019 stray bullet killing of Aamir Griffin
By Larry Celona
August 26, 2021 8:19pm Updated

A teenage gang member was busted in California earlier this week over the shocking 2019 stray bullet killing of a 14-year-old boy on a Queens basketball court, The Post has learned.

Sean Brown, an 18-year-old also from Queens, has been indicted in the murder of Aamir Griffin and is awaiting extradition back to the Big Apple where he will be arraigned in the case that rocked the victim’s South Jamaica community.

Brown was nabbed on an arrest warrant by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies on Monday and is currently being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, according to a LA County sheriff’s spokesman.

The suspect has a court date in Los Angeles County early Friday morning.

Griffin, a promising young basketball player and freshman at Benjamin N. Cardozo HS, was on the court at the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica in October 2019 when he was fatally struck by a stray bullet that was fired from more than 100 yards away.

The victim’s family had said his prowess on the court attracted the attention of college scouts.

“He loved basketball. He was already being recruited,” his grieving aunt, Akiba Griffin, had said after his senseless death. “His mother raised him right: only school and basketball.”

The shot that killed Griffin was fired near Foch Boulevard and Long Street — the distance of about a football field away, police have said.

From the get-go, detectives working the case suspected the shooting that left the innocent bystander dead was gang-related.

“Amir was a good kid and detectives worked effortlessly to solve this case,” a law enforcement source told The Post of Brown’s arrest. “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

A spokesperson for Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz declined to comment, but restated her commitment to bringing to justice those responsible for the death of Griffin.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2021/08/27/mom-of-slain-nyc-boy-14-thrilled-alleged-killers-arrest/

Mom of slain 14-year-old Queens boy thrilled alleged killer arrested
By Georgett Roberts and
Natalie O'Neill
August 27, 2021 2:07pm Updated

The mother of 14-year-old Queens boy who was gunned down by a stray bullet in 2019 said Friday she’s thrilled his alleged murderer was finally arrested — because the suspected gang member “broke my heart” and should “get what he deserves.”

Shanequa Griffin, 39, of South Jamaica, said detectives notified earlier this week that 18-year-old Sean Brown had been arrested for the killing of her son, Aamir Griffin, a gifted basketball player who was shot at a neighborhood court in October of that year.

“I’m excited, I’m excited about it. I’m glad he was caught,” she told The Post. “I was just happy that they police” came and told me. Most murders don’t get solved.

Shanequa Griffin said that suspect who allegedly murdered her son, Aamir Griffin. should “get what he deserves.”

She added, ““He took a lot from me. He broke my heart…I just want him to know that he is going to get what he deserves.”

Griffin said she hasn’t stopped weeping regularly over the loss of her boy — and that her heart aches on holidays because there’s an empty spot where he should be.

“Honestly, I cry a lot still. It’s still fresh for me. Every day is still like it just happened like it was just yesterday,” she said of his death. “I cry on the holidays — I cry on Thanksgiving, I cry on Christmas. I cried on my birthday that just past Aug. 2, because my son wasn’t here.”

Brown, who is also from Queens, was arrested Monday in California and will be extradited back to the Big Apple to face , according to L.A. police.

Griffin, who was a freshman at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, was shooting hoops at Baisley Park Houses when he was killed by a bullet that was fired from more than 100 yards away. The next month, police offered a $10,000 reward for help bringing the boy’s killer — but the case went unsolved for nearly two years.

Friends and loved ones have since hung drawings and photos in memory of the teen on a fence next to the court, said Griffin, who works in the New York City shelter system.

“There are candles and balloons as well. There is a basketball with wings painted on the court with his name below it,” she said.

“We are not taking them down. We are just going to keep putting new ones every year, we are always going to keep his memory right there. That’s what he loved to do,” she said.

A bench with her son’s name on it was been installed, with the help of the NYPD, in his honor outside of the apartment building where the boy once lived.

A message on it reads: “This Bench Has Been Dedicated In Memory of Aamir Griffin.”

 

[The Bobster]

Suspect busted in California for 2019 stray-bullet killing headed to NYC court

The gangbanger arrested last month in California for the 2019 stray bullet killing of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin on a Queens basketball court is back in New York City and expected to face a judge Sa…

nypost.com

Suspect busted in California for 2019 stray-bullet killing headed to NYC court​

By
Tina Moore,

Georgett Roberts and

Steven Vago


September 4, 2021 5:33pm
Updated

Sean Brown is walked out of the 113th Precinct after he was charged in the shooting death of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin. Kevin C. Downs for The New York Post

​

The gangbanger arrested last month in California for the shocking 2019 stray bullet killing of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin on a Queens basketball court is on his way to face a New York City judge.
Sean Brown, 18, was escorted by cops out of the 113th Precinct Saturday evening, and was on his way to Queens Supreme Court for his arraignment, which is expected Tuesday.
Brown wore ripped black skinny jeans, a black sweatshirt and yellow sneakers as he exited the precinct. His mouth covered with a blue mask, he mumbled but did not clearly respond to reporters’ questions as two detectives deposited him into the back of an unmarked car to take him to court.
Brown, who lived in Jamaica, Queens, before hightailing it to California, will be charged with one count of murder, law enforcement sources said.
Brown — who sources said is an alleged member of the Money World gang — was busted Aug. 23 by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies on a warrant for killing Griffin. He was extradited to New York on Friday.
“I just watched him grow up from a baby,” said a former neighbor of Brown’s, who would not give his name. He said Brown’s family has since moved away.
Law enforcement sources said Brown is a person of interest in two other shootings in Jamaica — from Oct. 11, 2019 and July 6, 2020.
He was also injured in a shooting on New Year’s Eve last year, sources added. Brown was sitting in a car on 154th Street in Jamaica when another car pulled up and six shots were blasted, striking him in the shoulder. Two people were busted on attempted murder and other charges in that shooting — Donta Kennedy, 20, and Marqiece Smith, 22.
Griffin was a promising basketball player and a freshman at Benjamin Cardozo HS, who was shooting hoops at Baisley Park Houses on Foch Boulevard in Jamaica when he was shot on Oct. 26, 2019.
The fatal bullet was fired from more than 100 yards away. Detectives immediately suspected the shooting was gang-related and that Aamir was not the intended target.
A memorial site for Aamir Griffin at a basketball court at 116-40 Guy R. Brewer Blvd in Queens. Brigitte Stelzer Aamir Griffin was fatally shot at a basketball court in Queens in 2019. Brigitte Stelzer
Aamir’s mom Shanequa Griffin, 39, told The Post police told her Brown was back in the city to face justice.
“They told me everything,” she said. “It’s good.”
Last week, the grieving mom said she was excited Brown had been caught. “He took a lot from me. He broke my heart,” she told the Post. “I just want him to know that he is going to get what he deserves.”
A memorial bench honors Aamir Griffin with a basketball and a plaque. Brigitte Stelzer Baisley basketball court in South Jamaica, where Aamir Griffin was fatally shot, received a complete makeover with a brand new look on July 13, 2021. Dennis A. Clark
“Honestly, I cry a lot still. It’s still fresh for me. Every day is still like it just happened like it was just yesterday,” she said.
Griffen had a “Magic Johnson smile” and had already attracted attention from college scouts for his prowess on the court, his coach at Cardozo, Ron Naclerio, said.
Friends and family described the boy as a “really good kid” and “innocent.”
A memorial full of candles, notes and photos pay tribute to Aamir Griffin after his death in Jamaica, Queens on November 17, 2019. Dan Herrick
The case rocked the victim’s South Jamaica community and prompted a wide search for the shooter. Police offered a $10,000 reward for help bringing the boy’s killer.

 

[The Bobster]

Reputed NYC gangbanger indicted in 2019 slaying of teen basketball standout

A reputed Queens gang member was arraigned on murder charges Wednesday in the 2019 shooting death of 14-year-old high school basketball standout Aamir Griffin.

nypost.com

Reputed NYC gangbanger indicted in 2019 slaying of teen basketball standout​

By
Jorge Fitz-Gibbon


September 8, 2021 3:23pm
Updated

Sean Brown is charged with murder in the shooting death of Aamir Griffin, 14. KEVIN C DOWNS

​

A reputed Queens gang member was arraigned on murder charges Wednesday in the 2019 shooting death of 14-year-old high school basketball standout Aamir Griffin.
Sean Brown, 18, was hit with second-degree murder and second-degree weapons possession charges in the senseless slaying at a basketball court, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said at a press conference Wednesday.
“At a bare minimum, when our kids go to the park or the playground, families should know that they are coming home,” Katz said, standing outside the same court where Griffin was shot and killed.
“At a bare minimum, it’s what we owe the families of Queens County,” she said. “Fourteen-year-old Aamir Griffin, a promising young student and athlete, never got home and his family is still reeling from his death.”
Katz said Brown, a reputed member of the Money World street gang, was aiming for a rival gang member but mistook the teen for his target, hitting the victim with one of three .380-caliber slugs.
Brown pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison said the case was personal to him.
“All homicides are very important to the NYPD, but this one, this one hit close to home for me,” Harrison said. “See, I grew up a mile away from him in a co-op called Rochdale Village. I played basketball on this same basketball court.
“Me and Aamir went to the same high school, Benjamin Cardozo,” the chief said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am Aamir Griffin.”
Sean Brown was arrested for the killing of Aamir Griffin.Facebook
Brown, who was identified by police just four days after Griffin’s death, fled the state and was arrested in California last month and extradited to New York.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies nabbed Brown on an arrest warrant and held him at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility pending the proceedings.
He is accused of firing the stray shot that killed the promising hoopster — known to friends as “Buddy” — on a basketball court at Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2019.
Police said the shot was fired from the area of Foch Boulevard and Long Street — a distance of about a full football field.
Prosecutors said Brown was allegedly caught on surveillance footage fleeing the area after the shots were fired, entering a nearby deli and walking to the home of another alleged Money World gang member.
Video also showed Brown allegedly boasting, “I seen that n—a, I hit him. That n—- drop,” prosecutors said.
A memorial is displayed with photos of Aamir Griffin.BRIGITTE STELZER
The senseless shooting shocked the entire community and prompted police to post a $10,000 reward for Griffin’s killer.
Brown was later identified as the prime suspect and tracked down in LA — until he was shipped back to the Big Apple over the weekend.
Police said he is “very well known” to cops at the 113th Precinct and is a person of interest in two other shootings.
Griffin was a freshman at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School when he was killed.
His family said he was already being recruited by college basketball scouts.

 

[Arheel's Uncle]

September 8, 2021 3:23pm

Brown pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison said the case was personal to him.
Brown was later identified as the prime suspect and tracked down in LA — until he was shipped back to the Big Apple over the weekend.

All show no go, or was it? The big joke is, after Sept 2021, Sean Brown was freely roaming the city, then rearrested 18 months later in 2023. No family of 14 yo victim outrage reported over his 'freedom', after the initial outrage. Why are there no news stories about Brown's 'freedom' to roam?
I believe this was a DP case, in a back door plea deal arrangement for a lesser sentence that Brown became a CI, confidential informant and thus used by the Feds and NYPD to set up then take down the 33 members in following story. Brown was caught halfway through the Fed's sting. They needed Brown as a lure to fish for a bigger catch. Brown already knew he was going to prison.
That crime story theme is as old as dirt. 68

Dozens of alleged gang members part of major indictment

The incident left two people dead.

ny1.com

Queens DA announces indictments against dozens of gang members after lengthy investigation​

By Nia Clark, Queens

PUBLISHED 7:50 PM ET Mar. 21, 2023

Law enforcement officials have arrested and indicted dozens of gang members after an investigation into over 20 shootings that injured about a half dozen innocent bystanders and left two people dead, including a 14-year-old boy in 2019.
They believe it will cut violence in several Queens neighborhoods, including Jamaica, Hollis, Rosedale and Springfield Gardens.
“Our investigation resulted in one of the largest gang takedowns in the history of Queens County,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, said.

---

What You Need To Know​

• Investigators have announced the arrest and indictment of dozens of gang members in what officials are calling one of the largest gang takedowns in the history of Queens
• A total of 29 defendants are in custody and police are still actively searching for the four others
• Investigators say the defendants are responsible for over 20 shootings that injured about a half dozen innocent bystanders and left two people dead, including a 14-year-old boy in 2019

---

Katz was joined by other law enforcement officials during a press conference Tuesday that detailed the takedown of dozens of criminals and the confiscation of about the same number of illegal guns off of city streets.
“Of the 33 defendants in this indictment, 18 pulled the trigger,” Katz said.
The takedown follows a three-year joint investigation that led to the indictments of 33 alleged gang members in three separate Southeast Queens street gangs.
“These gangs intended to commit murder and shoot opposing gang members based solely on their alliances and territorial disputes,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig, said.
Police say the defendants engaged in a blood feud dating back to 2019 that resulted in 23 separate shootings, including two that were fatal.
The shootings were allegedly fueled by rap videos and social media posts that boasted about violence.
Law enforcement officials displayed 34 guns they said were recovered in several arrests, including two ghost guns.
GTA5
“Shooting opps, as they call it, is glorified with members actually keeping score and awarding points for shooting rivals. Almost like it’s a game,” NYPD Gun Violence Suppression Division Deputy Chief Jason Savino, said.
Five of the defendants are charged with murder as part of a 151-count indictment.
They include Sean Brown, who was arrested two years ago after law enforcement officials said he shot and killed 14-year-old Aamir Griffin in October of 2019.
Police say Griffin was playing basketball at the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica when Brown mistook him as a rival gang member and pulled the trigger.
The promising teen basketball player had just begun his freshman year at Benjamin Cardozo High School.
“Aamir is exactly what we aspire our youth to be and his life was suddenly haunted by gang members recklessly firing bullets with total disregard for anyone around them,” Savino said.
Brown is behind bars on Rikers Island awaiting trial. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
“Whether it’s a 14-year-old like Aamir Griffin playing basketball or a school teacher walking his dog, or a mother running out to buy milk for her children — all innocent victims by mindless gang violence,” Katz said.
Other charges include attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, conspiracy and assault.
“After a two month long, grand jury members of these gangs are finally facing consequences for their behavior,” Essig said.
The defendants range in age from 17 to 40. Of those defendants, 29 are in custody and police are still actively searching for the four others.