Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, announced that a two-year investigation into gang violence in and around two Queens public housing developments led to the indictments of 23 alleged members of warring subsets of the Crips street gang, one based in the Astoria Houses, the other in the Woodside Houses. The defendants were variously charged with conspiracy, attempted murder, reckless endangerment and gun possession in connection with a number of violent incidents, including shootouts in broad daylight on busy streets.
District Attorney Katz said: “Warring gangs are not just a threat to themselves, but to all of us. The reckless criminality we saw during the course of this investigation is the kind of lawlessness that has killed law-abiding New Yorkers caught in the crossfire of gang gun violence. I commend the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Unit and my Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau for their outstanding work over the course of this long investigation, and I thank them for the important work they do.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said: “Since day one, public safety has been our administration’s top priority, and that’s why we have been working around the clock to stop gun violence and to keep guns and repeat offenders off our streets. This case is another victory in our work to remove New York’s most dangerous individuals from our communities. I applaud District Attorney Katz and the brave members of the NYPD for their tireless work bringing these 23 individuals to justice for carrying out these heinous acts that put the lives of New Yorkers, including children, at risk.”
Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “Today’s indictments mark the next phase of a nearly two-year long investigation – a case that took dozens of violent gang members off our streets. Their particular reign of retaliatory violence is over. But our work – the work of keeping people safe and free from fear in every New York City neighborhood – goes on. I thank and commend the members of the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Unit and the Queens District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau, as well as everyone else who worked on this critical case, for their remarkable dedication to our public safety.”
The majority of the defendants were arraigned last week on an 85-count indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder in the second degree, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Queens Supreme Court Justice Stephanie Zaro ordered the defendants to return to court in March. If convicted, they could face up to 25 years in prison.
According to the charges, while both groups of individuals are Crips, the Astoria Crips belong to the “Rollin’ Crip” set, the Woodside Crips belong to the “8 Trey Crip” set. In addition to their Crip set, each group also identifies by their rap music group name—Astoria members are the “Hip Hop Boys,” and the Woodside members are the “Tru Cash Gettas.”
Prior to August of 2018, the Woodside and Astoria housing development gangs were aligned. The split came August 4, 2018, when Isiah King of Woodside Houses assaulted Djuan Price of Astoria Houses over a drug deal. The next day, Djuan Price and his brother, Elijah Price, went to the Woodside Houses development, each armed with handguns, looking to retaliate. The Price brothers were unable to locate King, but instead found King’s close friend and fellow gang member, Jaffvonta Reid, shooting him in the leg.
The feud, fueled by social media and rap videos taunting the opposition, has seen more than 18 acts of gun-related violence, including homicide, attempted murder and gun possession.
Numerous crimes charged in this indictment arose out of gun fights and shootings that took place in broad daylight, often in the presence of small children.
For example, On June 14, 2020, at approximately 6:35 pm, in the vicinity of 48-16 Broadway, Woodside gang members Devine Moore and Michael Shepherd emerged from a bodega to confront a passing vehicle they believed to be occupied by a rival gang member. Shepherd lined up his shot standing alongside an ice cream truck where a little girl danced. She covered her ears from the crack of the gunfire.
In an act of retaliation, just one day later, on June 15, 2020, at approximately 7:15 pm, Astoria gang members Jaheen Stephenson, Tahji Alexander and Delante Aiken walked into the Woodside housing development and fired at a group of Woodside gang members who were in the courtyard along with other residents, including several small children. Woodside gang member Devine Moore and an innocent bystander were hit.
Similarly, on August 22, 2020, at approximately 7:38 p.m., Astoria gang members entered the Woodside houses and shot at Woodside gang members Hakeem Jamison and Timothy Brown, who were among the residents and their small children by the playground and on benches. As residents scattered, including small children on bicycles, Jamison and Brown returned fire. Remarkably, no one was injured.
In addition to shooting in the midst of civilians in broad daylight, this indictment charges multiple incidents where the defendants fired guns from the backs of motor scooters. In one such incident, on May 6, 2021, at approximately 9:53 pm, Astoria gang members Yurhan Palacios and Miguel Tapia rode a scooter onto 31st Avenue and Palacios fired onto the sidewalk at Woodside gang member Hakeem Jamison.
The joint investigation, called Operation AQtively Movin, was conducted by the Queens County District Attorney’s Office along with Detectives Gregory Perpall and Darren McFadzean, Seargent Sandy Rodriguez and Lieutenant Jonathon Zocchia of the New York Police Department’s Violence Reduction Task Force, under the supervision of Captain Ryan Gillis and Deputy Chief Jason Savino, Commanding Officer of the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division and under the overall supervision of Chief of Detectives James W. Essig.
ADDENDUM
DELANTE AIKEN, 21, of Queens, has been charged with conspiracy in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Aiken faces up to 25 years in prison.
TAHJI ALEXANDER, 25, of Queens, has been charged with conspiracy in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Alexander faces up to 25 years in prison.
KECHANTE BROWN, 29, of Queens, is charged with two counts of attempted murder and other crimes. If convicted, Brown faces up to 25 years in prison.
TIMOTHY BROWN, 33, of the Bronx, is charged with four counts of attempted murder and other crimes. If convicted, Brown faces up to 25 years in prison.
SHALIMAR CARSON, 33, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Carson faces up to 25 years in prison.
KAIAM DONOVAN, 40, of Queens, is charged with conspiracy in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Donovan faces up to 25 years in prison.
NASIR FISHER, 23, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Fisher faces up to 25 years in prison.
BARKIM HICKS, 28, of Queens, is charged with conspiracy in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Hicks faces up to 25 years in prison.
HAKEEM JAMISON, 28, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Jamison faces up to 25 years in prison.
AMIR JORDAN, 22, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Jordan faces up to 25 years in prison.
WALIEK MCCASKILL, 33, of Queens, is charged with conspiracy in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Mccaskill faces up to 25 years in prison.
MIGUEL TAPIA, 23, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Tapia faces up to 25 years in prison.
YURHUN PALACIOS, 27, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Palacios faces up to 25 years in prison.
DJUAN PRICE, 32, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Price faces up to 25 years in prison.
ELIJAH PRICE, 26, of Queens, is charged with three counts of attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Price faces up to 25 years in prison.
LUIS RAMIREZ, 22, of Queens, is charged with conspiracy in the fourth degree and other crimes. If convicted, Ramirez faces up to 4 years in prison.
MILTON RIBOT, 22, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Ribot faces up to 25 years in prison.
SEAN ROBERTS, 27, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Roberts faces up to 25 years in prison.
MICHAEL SHEPARD, 27, of Queens, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Shepard faces up to 25 years in prison.
JAHEEN STEPHENSON, 21, of Queens, is charged with four counts of attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted, Stephenson faces up to 25 years in prison.
DAVID WILSON, 30, of Queens, is charged with four counts of attempted murder in the second degree and other crimes. If convicted Wilson faces up to 25 years in prison.
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