Melinda Katz holds a press conference Thursday morning to announce the indictment of 28 individuals variously charged with murder, attempted murder and weapons possession
Aug. 5, 2021 By Christian Murray
More than two dozen individuals from three warring gangs were nabbed in a massive take down yesterday at the Ravenswood and Queensbridge NYCHA developments, the Queens District Attorney announced today.
Twenty-eight reputed gang members were indicted by a Queens grand jury—variously charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes.
The defendants are allegedly members of rival gangs operating out of the two NYCHA developments.
Two Queensbridge-based gangs—Jet Blue and the Makk Ballers–have been at war over who dominates that housing development. Meanwhile, a Ravenswood gang called “The Money the Motivation/Obligated to Money (MTM/OTM)” has been doing battle with various factions at Queensbridge.
The gang members and their crews often wage war by driving over to a rival’s turf to shoot their adversaries.
The 28 defendants are charged in a 141-count indictment. Two of the defendants are accused of carrying out the brazen killing of schoolteacher George Rosa, an innocent bystander caught in crossfire while walking his dog on July 25, 2020.
There were seven other people shot in and around the two NYCHA developments—all of whom have recovered from their injuries. Some were victims of drive-by shootings.
The indictment includes 23 counts of attempted murder in the second degree, 19 counts of attempted assault in the first degree, six counts of assault in the second degree, 54 counts of criminal possession of a weapon, as well as 19 counts of reckless endangerment.
“Gang warfare will not become the norm in Queens County,” Katz said, who held a press briefing Thursday morning. She noted that gangs are currently the biggest drivers of violence in New York City, and that with every gang shooting retaliation always follows.
“The indictment announced today covers multiple conspiracies, 20 acts of violence and related weapons possession incidents,” Katz said. “The violence—motivated by a desire for geographical supremacy by gang members—created a climate of fear in Queensbridge and Ravenswood.”
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