Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation Into Civilian Death in the Bronx

 

 The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the death of a civilian, who died on May 13, 2022, following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

On the evening of May 13, in the Hunts Point neighborhood, officers encountered a civilian allegedly holding what appeared to be a handgun. After directing him to drop the gun, the officers fired. The civilian was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The NYPD recovered an air gun at the scene.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person, by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

These are preliminary facts and subject to change. 

BP Vanessa L. Gibson, DA Darcel Clark, and Council Member Rafael Salamanca, to Demand Action to Curb Gun Violence;

 

Call to Action Follows the Shooting Death of 11-Year Old Kyhara Tay in the South Bronx

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, Bronx Country District Attorney Darcel Clark, Council Member Rafael Salamanca, and community advocates will host a rally to denouncing the gun violence that is plaguing our streets. 

While walking to a nail salon with a family member in broad daylight, 11-year old Kyhara Tay was tragically shot and killed, the victim of senseless violence caused by individuals who callously released gunfire on a crowded street.

Incensed by the constant stream of incidents ripping our communities apart, Council Member Salamanca, Borough President Gibson and other speakers will make their voices heard by saying enough is enough! Without meaningful action to fix a broken system, our community will continue to grieve the loss of our friends, family and loved ones.

 

WHEN: Wednesday, May 18th, 11 a.m.

WHERE: Intersection of Fox Street & East 165^th Street, Bronx, NY 10459 

WHO:  Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

            Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark

            New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams

                    Council Member Rafael Salamanca 

            Local Elected Officials

            Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Bronx

            Bronx Community Board 2

            41^st Precinct Council

            Bronx Clergy

            Members of the Longwood Community

BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER IN SOUNDVIEW SCHOOL SLASHINGS

 

Defendant Attacked a Teacher and a School Safety Agent with a Knife 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for Attempted Murder in the first degree and other related charges for barging into PS 69 Journey Prep with a knife and slashing two staff members. One was cut in the arm, the other in the neck.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly was beating a school staff member whom he knew, and the other staffers intervened and were slashed. We thank them for jeopardizing their safety to protect their coworker and the school’s students and are grateful to the other multiple staff members who intervened before the situation became much worse. If there is one place where children should be safe, it’s in school.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Claudio Villar, 23, of the Bronx, was arraigned today on Attempted Murder in the first degree, Attempted Murder in the second degree, Attempted Assault in the first degree, Attempted Assault on a Peace Officer, Police Officer, Fireman or Emergency Medical Services Professional, three counts of second-degree Assault, two counts of Attempted Assault in the second degree, three counts of third-degree Assault, second-degree Menacing, and two counts of fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. Bail was set at $250,000 and Villar is due back in court on August 17, 2022.

 According to the investigation, on April 14, 2022, just before the school day began, the defendant went into PS 69 Journey Prep seeking a person whom he was dating. Villar then allegedly chased her down the hallway and started to punch her. A teacher and a School Safety Agent tried to stop the attack when they were slashed with a knife. The teacher was slashed in the arm, and the school safety agent was struck in the neck. All three victims were treated for their injuries at a local hospital. The defendant fled the scene and later turned himself into police. Although school was not in session, there were students in the building for a morning program, as well as additional staff. 

 District Attorney Clark thanked School Safety Agent Evan Jacobs and the NYPD Detective Squad of the 43rd Precinct.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - MAY 17, 2022

 

FDA Authorizes First Booster Dose for Five to 11 Year Olds

With Just Over Half of the Eligible Population Boosted, Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Take Advantage of Tools that Protect Against COVID-19

24 Statewide Deaths Reported Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19. 

"Today, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the first COVID-19 booster dose for five to 11 year olds. Following approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Yorkers will be able to safely provide this life-saving tool to their children," Governor Hochul said. “In the meantime, I am calling on our parents and guardians to do what they can to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. That includes getting boosted, if you haven’t already. Let’s continue to work together and take care of one another, New York.” 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:   

·         Cases Per 100k – 44.25

·         7-Day Average Cases Per 100k – 50.50

·         Test Results Reported – 86,429

·         Total Positive – 8,647

·         Percent Positive – 9.42%**  

·         7-Day Average Percent Positive - 7.66%**

·         Patient Hospitalization - 2,649 (+152)

·         Patients Newly Admitted - 401

·         Patients in ICU - 245 (+12)

·         Patients in ICU with Intubation - 95 (+4)

·         Total Discharges - 302,066 (+231)

·         New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 24

·         Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 55,816

  

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.  

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.    

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.  

·         Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 71,264       

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.      

·         Total vaccine doses administered - 38,689,215

·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours – 17,081

·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days – 151,468

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 92.6%  

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 83.9%  

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0%  

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 87.2%  

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 83.3%  

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 73.3%  

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 82.1%  

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 74.3%  

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 90.4%  

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 77.2%  

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:    

Borough	Saturday, May 14, 2022	Sunday, May 15, 2022	Monday, May 16, 2022
Bronx	3.63%	3.76%	3.75%
Kings	3.75%	4.01%	5.00%
New York	5.49%	5.62%	5.94%
Queens	4.98%	5.16%	5.26%
Richmond	5.89%	6.02%	6.50%

MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Three Murders on Long Island

 

 Today, in federal court in Central Islip, Jhonny Contreras, a member of the Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty in federal court in Central Islip to racketeering and related firearms charges in connection with his participation in the May 26, 2013 murder of Derrick Mayes, the May 28, 2013 murder of Keenan Russell, and the November 19, 2015 murder of Cesar Rivera-Vasquez.  The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Gary R. Brown.  

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Rodney K. Harrison, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the guilty plea.

"With today’s guilty plea, the defendant has admitted to participating in a murderous rampage that was senseless and demonstrated a total disregard for human life by hunting down victims based on an offending article of clothing or a tattoo.  His heinous acts were motivated by a twisted desire to increase his status within the MS-13 gang.  This case underscores the resolve of this Office and the Long Island Gang Task Force to bring the MS-13 to justice for their crimes against our communities,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “We offer our sympathy to the victims’ families and loved ones who join the tragic community of those devastated by gun violence, and hope today’s plea will bring some measure of closure on their path to healing.”

“These murders are a grim reminder of the violence and lack of regard for human life that MS-13 exudes - killing innocent people simply because they are wearing a certain color or are believed to be from a rival gang,” stated SCPD Commissioner Harrison said.  “With today’s guilty plea, Suffolk County is undoubtedly a safer place and I commend the Eastern District of New York and the members of the Long Island Task Force for their tireless efforts ridding communities of gang violence.”

According to court filings and statements by the defendant at the guilty plea proceeding, Contreras participated in the murders of Derrick Mayes and Keenan Russell over the Memorial Day weekend in 2013.  On May 26, 2013, Contreras and another MS-13 member armed themselves with a .25 caliber handgun and 20-gauge shotgun and drove around Central Islip in a stolen minivan looking for rival gang members to kill.  While on Wilson Boulevard, Contreras and his co-conspirator observed Mayes, an African-American man, who they did not know and wrongly assumed to be a member of the Bloods street gang because he was wearing an article of red clothing.  The MS-13 members approached Mayes, shot him multiple times, killing him.  The following night, Contreras and several other MS-13 members, who were armed with the same .25 caliber handgun and 20-gauge shotgun, as well as a 9mm handgun, again drove around Central Islip in the stolen minivan and other vehicles, looking for rival gang members to kill, and observed several African-Americans, including Russell, outside of a house party on Acorn Street.  The MS-13 members approached Russell, who they did not know and again mistakenly assumed to be a member of the Bloods, opened fire with the weapons, killing him.  Later, the MS-13 members learned that the minivan had been linked to the murders and they agreed to destroy it.  Contreras and several other gang members drove the minivan to a wooded area in Ronkonkoma, wiped it down to remove any fingerprints, doused it with gasoline, and set it on fire.

In addition, Contreras admitted during his guilty plea today to participating in the murder of Cesar Rivera-Vasquez on November 19, 2015, in Babylon.  Rivera-Vasquez was murdered by Contreras and other MS-13 members because they suspected him of belonging to a rival Mexican gang, Raza Loca.  On the night of the murder, Contreras and his co-conspirators saw Rivera-Vasquez at a deli located close to the Babylon Long Island Railroad station.  Contreras and the other MS-13 members convinced the victim to leave with them to smoke marijuana and brought him to an isolated area behind a nearby baseball field.  The gang members, who were armed with knives and a baseball bat, told the victim to take off his shirt so they could observe a tattoo they believed signified the victim’s membership in the rival gang.   After observing the tattoo, Contreras and the other MS-13 members attacked Rivera-Vasquez, beating him with the bat and stabbing him repeatedly with knives before one of the co-conspirators took one of the knives and cut his throat.  After Rivera-Vasquez was dead, the MS-13 members buried his body near a large mound of dirt, and Rivera-Vasquez’s body was not discovered until April 2018.  When sentenced, Contreras faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Today’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York.  A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 60 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. 

Former NYC Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. - MINISTERS MARCH AGAINST CRIME

 

You should know that, while the rise of crime in our city is rampant and our elected officials pass legislation that defund the police and undermine the authority of Judges, we’ve witnessed our mayor dancing merengue in the street and enjoying “pedicures" in beauty salons.   To pray, intercede and demonstrate our repudiation for the high increase in crime and violence, the members of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, under the direction of Rev. Rubén Diaz, will March, this Thursday, May 19, to Westchester Avenue and Fox Street which was the place where an innocent 11-year-old girl was the victim of a stray bullet which sadly took her young life.   The Ministers will begin the March at 10:00 a.m., from The Christian Community Neighborhood Church located at 1437 Longfellow Avenue, to Westchester Avenue and Fox Street, where they will lead a prayer vigil asking for peace and an end to the violence in our City.   For more information, please call Samaris Gross at (347) 613-1491

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE CITY'S RIKERS ACTION PLAN

 

"Rikers Island is in a dangerous state of ongoing crisis that demands immediate action to protect people on both sides of the bars. The Action Plan finally put forth by the city provides a framework, a base, that could potentially address some of the aspects contributing to that crisis. As the federal monitor repeatedly noted, though, that potential is predicated on hypothetical – IF the city truly follows through with diligent, swift action and delivers on the promises of the plan, conditions could be improved and lives saved.

"We’ve seen promises made and abandoned related to Rikers before, and my office will be watching and working with this administration to ensure that the plan is put into practice, that the people working now to provide essential, restorative services for incarcerated New Yorkers are at the center of solutions, and that all of these efforts are carried out while working toward the legal and moral mandate of closing Rikers Island for good."

MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT ON FEDERAL MONITOR’S LETTER AND ACTION PLAN TO REFORM RIKERS ISLAND

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement on the federal monitor’s letter and action plan to reform Rikers Island:   

  

“I am grateful that the monitor's team has recognized the city’s substantial efforts over the past four months to address the decades of dysfunction on Rikers Island. As they write, there are no quick or easy solutions to reforming Rikers, but the actions Commissioner Molina has taken have had a positive impact, and distinguish this effort from previous failed attempts. Since taking office and working with the monitoring team, we have seen reductions in use of force and assaults on staff, increased searches for weapons and contraband, and fewer officers out on sick leave, but we must go much further. As the plan makes clear, with the proposed time, we have a strategy to aggressively untangle the dysfunction that has plagued the island and set it on a path of real and enduring reform. We appreciate the monitor's partnership and recognition of the important work to build safer jails. We know that there is much more difficult work to be done, and the city is committed to doing it.”