Prosecutors say the indictment links members of two Brooklyn-based gang subsets to one homicide, multiple non-fatal shootings and more than 20 victims across Brooklyn and Manhattan.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — An investigation into a series of shootings across New York City has led to charges against 22 alleged members of two subsets of the Folk Nation street gang who prosecutors say were involved in 26 separate shootings that left one person dead and dozens of others injured or endangered.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced Thursday that the defendants have been named in a 176-count indictment.
According to prosecutors, the defendants are variously charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder, attempted murder, weapons possession and related offenses.
Authorities allege the shootings were carried out by members and associates of two allied Folk Nation subsets known as the Renegade Goons, or RG, and the OOs, pronounced Double Ohs.
The indictment alleges the conspiracy spanned from October 2022 to the present and involved violence in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Prosecutors said the alleged gang activity included one homicide, 12 non-fatal shootings involving 22 victims, including three innocent bystanders, and 13 additional shootings in which no one was injured.
Among the incidents highlighted by prosecutors:
- A 59-year-old woman was struck in the head by a ricocheting bullet following a shooting in Crown Heights on Sept. 19, 2023.
- On April 27, 2024, prosecutors allege defendant Shamear Webster fatally shot a rival outside a barbershop near Utica and Church avenues in Brooklyn.
- A 39-year-old woman was struck in the thigh during an exchange of gunfire on May 19, 2024.
- Prosecutors allege a shooting targeted an Uber carrying a rival gang member near Brooklyn Supreme Court on July 15, 2024.
- On Dec. 14, prosecutors allege two defendants opened fire outside a Sweet 16 party in East New York, injuring six people between the ages of 15 and 17.
The defendants were arraigned Wednesday in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Prosecutors said the defendants were either ordered held without bail or are being held on high bail.
All but five of the defendants are charged with attempted murder in connection with allegedly carrying out shootings, according to the district attorney’s office.
The investigation was conducted by the New York City Police Department’s Gun Violence Suppression Division and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors emphasized that an indictment is an accusation and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Key Points
- Twenty-two alleged members of two Folk Nation gang subsets have been charged in a 176-count indictment.
- Prosecutors say the conspiracy is tied to 26 shootings across Brooklyn and Manhattan, including one homicide.
- The alleged shootings left 23 people victimized, including three innocent bystanders.
