The Brooklyn District Attorney's office has indicted 18 members of a street gang subset that would allegedly go on "hunting expeditions" around the borough to shoot at rival gang members. According to the DA's office, the gang members have killed one 25-year-old man and left a 60-year-old female bystander paralyzed during these expeditions.
The individuals are all allegedly part of the "No Love City" gang, a subset of the Folk Nation gang. They are all Brooklyn residents between the ages of 18 and 27 years old. Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson has slapped them with a 76-count indictment, with charges ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, weapons possession and other charges.
These so-called hunting expeditions were incredibly violent, according the the DA's office, and on one occasion in May 2014, an alleged gang member shot a 60-year-old woman who was grocery shopping on Flatbush Avenue, paralyzing her from the waist down. On another in July 2015, rival gang member Adetunji Ajakaye was allegedly targeted and killed. That shooting was captured on surveillance video:
The defendants are also accused of injuring multiple rival gang members, opening fire in a courtyard filled with children, and shooting up a barbecue in Canarsie.
"We must never allow violent street gangs to take over and terrorize our communities by going on hunting expeditions and roaming our streets shooting and killing people at will," DA Thompson said in a statement. "This indictment makes clear that we will note cede our streets to armed criminals but will do everything in our power to keep our streets safe for all.” Sixteen of the 18 suspects have been arrested.
