15 reputed gang members accused of multiple shootings in Brooklyn, NYPD says

Fifteen reputed members of Brooklyn gangs have been arrested in connection with a spate of gun violence throughout the borough in which seven people were shot — including four bystanders— and one person was killed, officials said Monday.

The shootings, which took place within the past 13 months, saw nearly 200 rounds fired, sometimes during daylight hours on busy streets filled with pedestrians and motorists who fled in fear, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said at a news conference announcing the charges.

The shootings took place throughout the borough, in residential areas as well as downtown Brooklyn, and involved 10 police precinct areas and more than a dozen neighborhoods, said Gonzalez.

"These men were ready for war, willing to use guns at a moment's notice," Gonzalez said, referring to the defendants who ranged in ages from 23 years old to 17. They were all accused of pulling triggers during the various crimes.

Speaking at a news conference with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Gonzalez said that the defendant were so trigger-happy that they sprayed bullets with reckless abandon and in one case killed a fellow gang member by "friendly fire."

Tisch said the case was made by detectives monitoring social media posts by gang members around the time of the shootings, in which they sometimes berated associates for not hitting the intended targets. Tisch also noted that the investigation used the gang criminal database to help secure indictments in the case.

Among the gangs implicated in the shootings are the FOG Koney Sides and Fox Nation. The shootings contributed to what Gonzalez said were "destabilized" neighborhoods, including those around public housing areas such as Flatbush Gardens.

Investigators said the shootings were brazen. In one case, a gang member had just left his probation officer when he confronted three other rival gang members who had apparently been stalking him in the lobby of the office building in Downtown Brooklyn, explained Gonzalez.

The gang member than chased the other three, pulled out a handgun and fired at them as they fled. The shooting, in which no one was injured, was captured on surveillance video and showed a building window being shattered, he said.

The suspects, who were taken into custody last week, have been hit with a variety of charges, including second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, gun possession and related offenses, officials said.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.