Nearly two dozen members of a notorious Bronx gang with an “absolute disregard for human life” have been indicted for numerous shootings and a homicide, officials announced Thursday.
Members of the “800 YGs” gang, which has terrorized the Crotona section of the Bronx for years, are responsible for “14 separate shootings, including one homicide, two non-fatal shootings, and 11 more incidents where shots were fired but no one was struck,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference alongside Mayor Adams and Bronx DA Darcel Clark.
“But let’s be clear, that doesn’t mean no one was in danger. Both of these shootings occurred in broad daylight. In one case, six rounds were fired at a city bus as people were getting off. In another, bullets flew just feet from a family standing on the sidewalk with two small children. This is indiscriminate violence. It’s an absolute disregard for human life and for this gang it ends today,” Tisch said.
Of the 20 800 YGs indicted, 17 are in custody and the other three are being hunted, she added.
The investigation, which spanned two and a half years, was spearheaded by the gun violence suppression division, an elite unit of detectives that specializes in using surveillance technology to identify and apprehend criminals.
“Throughout this investigation, we took nearly half of the known members of this gang off the street. In this one case, it’s how precision police work gets done, and it’s another reminder of why calls to abolish this tool by some in the City Council are so dangerous,” Tisch said.
In April, 63% of shootings citywide happened in the Bronx, Tisch noted. “This surge in violence is 100% driven by gangs and the Trinitarios specifically. And we are working with the DA laser focused on taking them down.”
