On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY) held a press briefing with other city officials to talk about efforts to combat gang violence.
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00:00Good afternoon, thank you everyone for coming.
00:17I stand here with Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tish to announce that
00:2320 alleged gang members have been indicted, brought to justice for carrying out some
00:31of the most brazen, terrifying incidents of gunfire inflicted on a neighborhood.
00:38The good people of the Bronx are enduring gun violence, and we can speak about it all
00:43we want, but to see it will show you what they go through as they're trying to live
00:50their everyday lives.
00:52And it must stop.
00:56Our youth must stop choosing guns and gangs.
01:01With me are Christine Skacia, who is Chief of the Homicide Bureau, Major Case Assistant Attorney
01:07Sonia Giamillo of Trial Bureau 60, James Brennan, Deputy Chief of our Trial Division, and Teresa
01:14Gottlieb, who is the Chief of the Trial Division.
01:18They worked with the NYPD to build this case against the members of the 800 YGs gang that
01:25includes a murder and 14 shootings.
01:30This conspiracy of violence turned the West Farms neighborhood into a shooting gallery.
01:36They allegedly threatened the lives of school children, shoppers, along with anyone who walked down
01:42the street in daytime, violating the basic right to be safe.
01:48These defendants allegedly shot at rival gangs without any regard for the innocent bystanders
01:54fought in between them in the line of fire.
01:58In one incident, they shot a man in the head and killed him.
02:03Half of the defendants were teenagers when they committed these crimes.
02:08They are variously charged in a 73-count indictment with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter,
02:16criminal possession of a weapon, attempted murder in the second-degree, reckless endangerment,
02:22robbery, assault, and conspiracy.
02:28Detectives of the NYPD Gun Suppression Division and Bronx Violence Reduction Task Force and the
02:34Bronx Warrant Squad arrested seven of the defendants on Tuesday.
02:40They were arraigned by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph McCormick.
02:46Five were remanded, which means they're in without any possibility of bail.
02:50One had bail set, and one was placed on supervised release.
02:55And they're due back in court on April 21st.
02:59Three defendants haven't been arrested, and 10 are currently incarcerated and will be arraigned
03:06on this indictment at a future date.
03:09The 800 YG Gang, based at 800 East 180th Street here in the Bronx, allegedly carried out 15 shootings
03:20in and near West Farms here in the Bronx against rival gang members.
03:26Investigators recovered nine firearms over the course of the investigation, and I guess those
03:31are the guns there.
03:33Five, five of these guns that were recovered were linked ballistically to 24 other shootings
03:41in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan.
03:43The incidents outlined in the indictment occurred between April 2021 and July 2024.
03:52After Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tish speak, we will show you some of these egregious incidents
03:58on video.
04:00And they include, on August 28th, 2023, at approximately 2.55 p.m. in front of 997 East 179th Street,
04:10two of the defendants, acting in concert with an unidentified individual, allegedly opened fire
04:18on rival gang members just a few feet away from a man and a woman with three young children.
04:25Video footage shows the gunmen shooting over the family, their faces filled with fear, and
04:31one child clinging to an adult for protection.
04:35On April 1st, 2023, at approximately 6.30 p.m., at a courtyard next to Middle School 129 Academy
04:44for Independent Learning and Leadership on Mapes Avenue, the defendants, upon seeing opposition gang members
04:52on a scooter nearby, allegedly started shooting across the schoolyard and videos show children running for their lives.
05:00At the same location on December 4th, the defendants can be seen on video ushering numerous kids off the basketball
05:09court of the schoolyard and then firing multiple shots at rivals.
05:15On March 1st, 2024, at approximately 1.54 p.m., in front of 926 East Tremont Avenue, four of the defendants
05:25allegedly approached a barbershop and fired shots into it from the sidewalk.
05:31The target returned to fire.
05:34People outside scattered while patrons in the barbershop ducked for cover during the gun battle.
05:40And lastly, one of the other incidents on February 23rd, 2023, at approximately 4.42 p.m.
05:47near Westchester Avenue and West Farms Road, two of the defendants, acting in concert, allegedly fired
05:55six rounds at a man walking to the MTA bus at a busy intersection.
06:01Video surveillance shows the target and several bystanders rolling on the ground seeking cover under the bus.
06:09This has to stop.
06:11And today is a way that we are holding these people accountable for causing the harm and the violence in our community.
06:18Now I'll ask Mayor Adams to have a few words.
06:23Thank you so much, D.A. Klopp and this entire team that's here.
06:30And I want to thank the police commissioner and the men and women of the New York City Police Department for their relentless pursuit to address the violence that was just given,
06:42we received the description of, by the district attorney.
06:46I think our head of homicide said something in our briefing that really impacted.
06:52It's almost like Groundhog Day.
06:54It's the repeated violence by a small number of people who have a total disregard for the safety of New Yorkers.
07:03And as the D.A. gave the description of some of the violence that took place,
07:08just imagine if you are in the schoolyard and your children have to run and flee from gun violence.
07:14Or if you're on a bus stop about to board a bus and someone shoots an individual that's on the line with you.
07:22The violence that we're seeing from the small number of people, the numerical minority that believe that they do not have to follow any laws
07:31and they will continue their violence.
07:33And the police commissioner will go through some of the recidivism numbers of some of these individuals.
07:39This violence is at the heart of our pursuit and no one has done it better than District Attorney Clark.
07:47Understanding the balance, as she speaks to young people all the time,
07:51that we want to take you off the pathway of violence.
07:54But if you don't, you will end up in this area we're in right now.
07:59That's the balance we need.
08:01My job as the mayor of the city of New York is to protect every residence
08:05and create the proper programs and incentives to take young people off the pathway of violence.
08:12What is heartbreaking about this for both of us, the District Attorney and I,
08:16is that many of the victims are black and brown.
08:19And many of those who are inflicted in violence are black and brown.
08:23A husband being a 40-year detective knows what it is to respond to these crime scenes
08:28and speak to family members and loved ones that are inflicted by this violence.
08:32This is not just professional, it's personal.
08:35It is inflicted in our communities in a very real way.
08:38And these are, and I believe and will continue to say, the failure of policies
08:43and the failure of laws that don't quite understand.
08:46These young people are getting younger and younger.
08:49One of the individuals involved in the homicide was 15 years old.
08:53When you look at 15, 16, 17 years old who have a just callous approach
08:59and a total disregard for the safety of the people in their communities,
09:03it sends the wrong message.
09:06Our lawmakers must be in alignment with what is playing out on the ground in our communities.
09:12We cannot have groundhog days of violence in our city.
09:17Even if the bullet does not hit its intended target, it rips apart the anatomy
09:23and the belief of being safe in our communities.
09:26And much of the violence we're seeing is isolated to certain parts of the city.
09:31That's why I don't believe we're seeing the urgency that we should be seeing.
09:36The description and the videos you're going to see is going to show the urgency
09:41that hardworking people in our city are asking for an end to this violence.
09:47And we're going to partner with this district attorney's office and the police department
09:51and my administration to do everything that's possible to get it done.
09:56But we're going to need help from our lawmakers.
09:59You cannot stay in a sterilized environment of a legislative chamber
10:02and believe that just passing laws won't impact how you keep New Yorkers safe.
10:08Safety is a prerequisite to our prosperity,
10:11and it's the North Star of the men and women who are standing here today.
10:15And DA, I thank you for what you have done throughout the years in the borough of the Bronx,
10:20how you have consistently prevented violence and responded accordingly
10:26when violence takes place in your borough.
10:29We could not have asked for a better partner,
10:31and we look forward to continue the work that you and your team have currently done.
10:36And I thank your entire team for this investigation
10:38and bringing these individuals to justice.
10:40Thank you very much.
10:41I'm going to bring up the police commission of the city of New York, Jessica Tisch.
10:45Thank you, sir.
10:50Good afternoon.
10:51Just over a week ago, we stood in Manhattan announcing a major gang takedown,
10:56led once again by the Gun Violence Suppression Division, many of whose members you see here today.
11:02Today we're in the Bronx.
11:04Same unit, same mission, different borough.
11:07Because no matter where or when, these elite detectives continue to build precise, targeted cases
11:14that identify, investigate, and dismantle these violent crews.
11:19This time, the focus is on the Crotona section of the Bronx, and on the street gang that call themselves the 800 YGs.
11:27Twenty members of that crew have been indicted.
11:30And as of this afternoon, 17 are already in custody.
11:34Three remain outstanding, and we will find them.
11:37Of course, our criminal group database was an important tool used to understand associations and rivalries throughout this investigation.
11:45We took nearly half of the known members of this gang off the street in this one case.
11:52It's how precision police work gets done, and it's another reminder of why calls to abolish this tool by some of the city council are so dangerous.
12:03This investigation spanned two and a half years, and it closed out 14 separate shootings, including one homicide, two non-fatal shootings, and 11 more incidents where shots were fired but no one was struck.
12:17But let's be clear, that doesn't mean no one was in danger.
12:21Twelve of these shootings occurred in broad daylight.
12:24In one case, six rounds were fired at a city bus as people were getting off.
12:29In another, bullets flew just feet from a family standing on the sidewalk with two small children.
12:36This is indiscriminate violence.
12:39It's an absolute disregard for human life.
12:42And for this gang, it ends today.
12:45The numbers behind this case speak volumes.
12:48Prior to this takedown, these 800 YGs members have been arrested 14 times for gun possession.
12:56They've been arrested for robbery on 34 separate occasions.
13:00And eight of the 20 indicted individuals have fired a gun at least three times.
13:06This is what recidivism looks like in real life.
13:09Not just statistics on a page, but the same people committing the same violent acts again and again.
13:16Nine illegal guns were recovered in this case.
13:19Five of which were ballistically matched to shootings in the indictment.
13:23And it's part of a broader public safety trend.
13:26Under our mayor's leadership, the NYPD has driven shootings to the lowest levels in recorded history.
13:33Also in the first quarter, shooting victims dropped by 23%.
13:38Murders fell by 34%.
13:41And we've already taken more than 1,500 illegal firearms off the street this year.
13:47Bringing the total to over 21,000 guns seized since the start of the mayor's administration.
13:53That is not a coincidence.
13:55That is strategy.
13:56It's the result of precision policing and the relentless work of units like the gun violence suppression division.
14:03I want to thank Mayor Adams for his continued support and leadership.
14:07He truly is the public safety mayor.
14:10He knows what it takes.
14:11He backs this work.
14:12And because of that, New Yorkers today are safer.
14:16I also want to thank our great Bronx District Attorney, Darcelle Clark, for her partnership and for her office's partnership on this case.
14:25And to the detectives who brought this case home, thank you for your dedication, your passion, and your exceptional commitment to this work.
14:33I can't be in the Bronx today and not mention that in the past three weeks we are seeing a concerning uptick in violent crime.
14:42Specifically shootings and homicides across three precincts.
14:46The 4-0, the 4-6, and the 4-8.
14:49In March, we sent almost 150 cops to commands in the Bronx.
14:54And today we are building on our zone strategy, which sends about 120 cops in mobile field forces to the Bronx every day,
15:02and deploying an additional 70 specialized officers to the area in this borough.
15:09The people of the Bronx need help, and I want to stress that this is a very recent spike in violence.
15:15In the first quarter, the Bronx was down 33% in shootings compared to 2024.
15:21But in April, 63% of our citywide shooting incidents have occurred in the borough of the Bronx.
15:28And nearly 20% of all shootings citywide have occurred this month in one precinct, the 4-6.
15:36This surge in violence is 100% driven by gangs, and the Trinitarios specifically.
15:43And we are working with the DA laser-focused on taking them down.
15:49All right, so now we're going to show the video.
15:53So we're going to show four different incidents, part of the AVERT acts that are in the press release that you guys have.
16:00We're going to show it one time now, and then we'll show it a second time.
16:02You want to move up? One less moved?
16:04Nope.
16:05So probably the first incident is on August 28th, 2023.
16:11This is the incident involving the three kids.
16:13You'll see a kid here.
16:14There's going to be another child here, and here as well.
16:17And we'll play that one out for you.
16:19This is on 997 East 279th Street.
16:22Eric? Eric?
16:24Eric?
16:25Eric?
16:26Eric?
16:27Eric?
16:28Eric?
16:29Eric?
16:30Eric?
16:31Eric?
16:32Eric?
16:33Eric?
16:34Eric?
16:35Eric?
16:36Eric?
16:37Eric?
16:38Eric?
16:39Eric?
16:40Eric?
16:41Eric?
16:42Eric?
16:43Eric?
16:44Eric?
16:45Can you hear me?
16:46Oh, that's loud.
16:47All right.
16:48Say it again.
16:49Say what you said.
16:50Some of the overt acts that you're seeing in the press release.
16:52So we're going to show the bus incident.
16:54We're going to show this incident involving the children.
16:56We're also going to show two at a middle school in the Bronx.
16:59This is near like the West Farms area.
17:01So this one's going to have three children.
17:04You're going to see gunshots coming this way.
17:06And then you're going to see those kids, you know, running.
17:09So we're going to show that first.
17:10This is on August 28th on 2023 around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
17:16This is 997 East 179th Street.
17:19You see the kids there.
17:37And that's that incident.
17:42And then we're going to show another one.
17:44This is over at MS 129 in the Bronx.
17:47You're going to pay attention to this side of your screen over here.
17:50You'll see someone coming in on a scooter.
17:52And then there's also going to be a little home base area on this side.
17:56So the shooting is going to start over here.
17:58And then it's going to cut to another video.
18:00So we'll show that.
18:04This is April 1st, 2023 on Mates Avenue, MS 129.
18:09So the shooting is coming from over here.
18:12And you'll see the kids there running.
18:15And then pay attention to the right side next to this red building here.
18:23And you'll see in a bunch of these videos there's a lot of kids here playing basketball.
18:27And then they kind of run out of there once the shooting starts.
18:30So this is the area where a lot of the alleged defendants or the defendants who are alleged in this incident are meeting.
18:36Okay, this incident is pretty crazy.
18:39So our people who are indicted, they're going to be outside.
18:43This is an opposition member here getting a haircut.
18:46I'm going to show this and let this play out.
18:49This is March 1st, 2024.
18:51Just watch the guy in the chair.
18:53He's going to go to him and pull out a handgun and then start firing outside at the defendants.
19:01They're going to start shooting inside at the opposition gang member there.
19:06This is March 1st, 2024.
19:08927 East Tremont Avenue, 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
19:22I see them hiding for cover.
19:24There's a hell of gunfire outside.
19:26If you look back it looks like there's someone with a stroller back there.
19:30And a bunch of people again running for their lives.
19:35Middle of the day, busy street, lots of cars, lots of people.
19:38Again, back at the middle school.
19:40This is over at MS 129, December 4th, 2022.
19:43And this incident you'll see him throw a basketball to get people here off the court.
19:47And then after that gunfire is going to start.
19:50So people are going to start running as the defendants usher people out of the area here at the middle school.
19:55This one's a little longer.
19:59We've got our defendants are over here.
20:04You mean 2023, right?
20:05Three, yeah.
20:06No, this one's 20, I think this is 2020, 2022.
20:09This is the several incidents.
20:10Yeah, there's multiple shootings there.
20:14Yeah, there's multiple shootings there.
20:15Yeah, afterwards I'll replay it and I've already given a few of you copies.
20:20So he's dancing there.
20:27And then it goes down.
20:28And then it goes down.
20:29And then it goes down.
20:30And then it goes down.
20:31Again, kids are nearby.
20:32This is right near.
20:33This is right near.
20:34And then it goes down.
20:35Again, kids are nearby.
20:36This is right near.
20:37Right at the middle school.
20:38And then it goes down.
20:39And then it goes down.
20:40And then it goes down.
20:45And then it goes down.
20:46And again, kids are nearby.
20:48This is right near, right at the middle school.
20:52And one more incident here.
20:53This is the last one we're going to show.
20:54This is going to be shots fired near the MTA bus here.
20:58So you're going to see the defendant come here.
20:59So you're going to see the defendant come here.
21:00He's going to drop the magazine.
21:01He's going to hand off that gun to another defendant and they're going to start firing towards
21:22This is this bus on a busy street over on Hoe Avenue.
21:36This is February 23rd, 2023.
21:40Westchester Avenue and West Farms Road.
21:42And you'll see people ducking for cover.
21:44They're running under the, they're rolling under the bus.
21:50And then they run.
21:59Okay.
22:00And that's just four of them, four or five of the AVERT acts that are outlined in that press release
22:03there for you.
22:04So we'll give you guys a copy of this.
22:05And we'll play it again afterwards if you need it.
22:08And that's everything for now.
22:13Okay.
22:14Questions on this topic, please?
22:19Yes.
22:20Yes.
22:21You.
22:22Yeah.
22:23Commissioner Tisha mentioned.
22:24Sorry.
22:25The gang database.
22:26How really, how crucial were they switching together?
22:29So when you look at this gang, right, the 800 YGs, there's 38 total members in this gang.
22:44Fifteen of them are entered into this database.
22:47But what's more important, if you look at their ops, right, so their ops, meaning their
22:51opposition gang, there's nine of them.
22:53So 197 documented gang members in the opposition, meaning who they're fighting with.
22:59So when you take a look at video and you see who's on the scene, who's pulling the triggers,
23:04who's a victim of these crimes, it kind of puts together who's involved, where the locations
23:09are going to be, and that helps precinct commanders with their deployment to prevent
23:12further violence.
23:13And if I could just interject.
23:17This is why when you make policies and laws that are in opposition of what it takes to
23:28put in place safety, that's the problem.
23:32And so here we are seeing a law passing the city council to disband a tool that's used to
23:39stop this.
23:41So we are handcuffing the investigators.
23:44And those who are making those rules and laws, they're not going to the hospital to visit
23:49these families.
23:50They're not going to the funerals.
23:52They're not talking about and seeing the impact of this.
23:56That's what's harmful of what's taking place in our legislative chambers.
24:01They're making laws that handcuff the district attorneys, that handcuff the investigators,
24:06and they are allowing these individuals to commit these crimes.
24:10And they're smart.
24:11They read the papers and they will tell us, I'll be out tomorrow.
24:16Did any of these defendants, were even previously arrested on similar crimes and
24:23if there any details at this time?
24:25Yeah.
24:26You know that?
24:27Sure.
24:28Chief Kenny.
24:29Yeah.
24:30Chief of Detectives.
24:31He knows.
24:33All right, so on 14 total occasions, someone from this gang was arrested with a firearm.
24:39On eight occasions, arrested for attempted murder or reckless endangerment.
24:43You have incidents where 11 of the 20 have allegedly fired a gun.
24:49And then more than half have been arrested for a robbery, for over 34 separate robberies.
24:54So they do have prior criminal histories that we are aware of.
24:58So I'm wondering where the disconnect is to where police are charging and what the robberies are.
25:19Well, first we want to talk about on this topic.
25:22Okay?
25:23We're going to talk on this topic.
25:24But does anybody else have a question on topic here?
25:27Okay, Jay?
25:28I agree.
25:29So, given the work of the gun suppression teams and the arrests that have been made,
25:36if you talk about the frustration and the number of guns that continue to throw to the neighborhood,
25:44and the kids, you can't seem to keep their hands off them.
25:48Yeah, you're right.
25:49It's frustrating.
25:50It's devastating to communities because people are getting hurt.
25:54We're losing a generation of these kids, either because they're going to be arrested and they're facing trial now because of indictment,
26:00what we're doing here, or they end up dead or shot or hurt, seriously injured.
26:05So, yeah, it's really frustrating.
26:07We're doing all that we can.
26:09Look, we're doing this to do these crew takedowns, but don't think that we're not also working on the flow of guns coming into the Bronx and into our city in the first place.
26:18That work is always going on.
26:20That's why we're able to see, you know, not only do we have nine guns here, but because of the work that we do,
26:26we could match the ballistics to know where else they've been involved.
26:30So, we're staying on top of that, including how the gun gets here, as well as how it's being used and what impact it's having on the community.
26:39And just a quick follow-up.
26:40Are they being charged as half of them with teenagers?
26:44Are they being charged as adults?
26:49No, they're being charged as whatever age they were at the time is reverting back to when they committed the crime.
26:55We have to do it that way.
26:57I'm referring to all of them.
27:15You can connect the dots between the law and the action.
27:21Disbanding the gang database is going to have a negative impact.
27:26We just heard the chief of detective state the role that the gang database played.
27:32When you look at the probably with discovery and what the DAs were mentioning for years,
27:39when I was sitting down with the district attorneys, they're saying this is making us challenging for us to prosecute.
27:45So, you can see a direct correlation.
27:48When you look at some of the laws that were passed that's dealing with recidivism.
27:52We just heard the numbers.
27:53These are, you know, the numbers don't lie.
27:55You're seeing how people who are arrested repeatedly.
27:59I think the head of the Homicide Bureau, she hit it out the park.
28:03This has become Groundhog Day for crime.
28:05Over and over, same people doing the same actions, a total disregard.
28:10And then look at the connection of raise the age.
28:13We saw this during the 70s and early 80s when drug dealers would give drugs to younger people
28:17because they know they would not be held responsible at the same level.
28:22We're seeing there's a direct correlation.
28:25Raise the age comes in place.
28:27Victims are younger.
28:29Shooters are younger.
28:30So, all we have to do is just connect the dots.
28:33Laws are passed in the city council.
28:35Laws are passed in Albany.
28:36And you're seeing them play out on the streets of the city of New York.
28:41It needs to stop.
28:42We have to ask one question.
28:44What side are you on?
28:46That's the question you have to ask.
28:48I'm on the side of innocent New Yorkers that should not have their children run from gun violence.
28:53That should not have to walk on the bus and worry about someone shooting them.
28:57That should not be sitting inside their homes and a bullet goes through.
29:00We've been there before.
29:02When you used to have drills of young people in their homes hearing gunshots or backup cars
29:08and they immediately fall to the floor.
29:11We can't go back there.
29:12Which side are you on?
29:13And I know which side I'm on.
29:15I know.
29:16You know, the federal laws play a role in this as well.
29:17I mean, there's a lot of people in the military.
29:18You know, the federal laws play a role in this as well.
29:19I mean, the Supreme Court has spoken and it's easier to buy guns.
29:25It's easier to have them.
29:26Luckily, the courts did recently uphold that New York City, New York City, New York City, New York City, New York City, New York City, New York City.
29:33In particular, with our gun laws that we are able to still restrict the areas where people could carry them.
29:39They have the right to carry them now more.
29:40The Supreme Court has spoken on that.
29:42But we at least have been successful in the U.S. Supreme Court to saying that we can't be able to carry them more.
29:43The Supreme Court has spoken.
29:44Well, you know, the federal laws play a role in this as well.
29:45I mean, the Supreme Court has spoken and it's easier to buy guns.
29:48It's easier to have them.
29:50Luckily, the courts did recently uphold that New York City, New York State in particular, with our gun laws, that we are able to still restrict the areas where people could carry them.
30:02They have the right to carry them now more.
30:05The Supreme Court has spoken on that.
30:07But we at least have been successful in the U.S. Supreme Court to saying that we can still restrict the areas where people are allowed to have them.
30:15But that doesn't mean that we don't stop trying to get them coming in here in the first place.
30:19And going into the hands of people that really should not have them.
30:25Given what you said about recidivism, the fact that some people who are still out there and it's still going on, people who live in this area, should they feel safer?
30:34They should feel safer, yes, because we had taken down a crew that was causing devastation and havoc.
30:42What's important now is that what we do after that, not only just this indictment, but we need to invest in communities.
30:48Those same people that want to feel safe, we need to do more to bring in resources to make sure that they continue to be safe.
30:55All right, thank you.