19 Charged In Takedown Of Gang Terrorizing Central Brooklyn: DA

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A massive gang takedown this week has brought charges against 19 members connected to a cycle of shootings that has plagued Central Brooklyn for years, prosecutors announced.

Authorities unveiled two indictments Wednesday against members of the "900 street gang," which run various crews throughout Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights and are responsible for at least 13 acts of violence in the last year, including two murders, officials said.

The indictments are a major breakthrough in law enforcement's efforts to curb an ongoing shooting surge that escalated in the borough last year, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

"I’m confident this takedown of these gang members will make a difference to the people of Brooklyn, especially people who live in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area and Crown Heights," Gonazalez said at a press conference. "Many of these defendants were charged with multiple acts of violence and shootings, so there's a multiplying impact toward peace when they are taken off the streets."

The largest indictment — which includes 77 charges against 15 of the gang's members — include those involved in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Tracey Washington and a shooting at the Lafayette Gardens Houses that killed Tylee Felder and injured two others last fall.

Cops discovered that Washington, an alleged member of the rival "Hoolie" gang, had been running a credit card scam business and believed he was meeting a girl hoping to join the scheme when he was shot in a cab on Dean Street in June, prosecutors said. It turns out members of the 900 Gang had lured Washington to Dean Street by posing as the girl on Instagram, officials said.

Three members — Kaireil Haynie, Alexander Williams and Tysean Devonshire — were charged in that case.

Williams was also charged as a shooter in the Tylee Felder murder, along with 21-year-old Wydeem Rudd, prosecutors said. Rudd and Williams — incorrectly, according to prosecutors — believed Felder had been involved in a previous shooting when they opened fire on him, prosecutors said. Tylee was shot six times, including once in the head, on Sept. 28.

The 77-count indictment also included several non-fatal shootings from the last year, including two back-to-back shootings from October 2019 where the same "community gun" was used to open fire at Hoolie rivals on the streets of Brooklyn.

"This gun is property of the gang...it's stashed in places [and] whenever a gang member wants to use it, they have access to it," Gonzalez said. "The fact that these community guns go easily from one person to another person is how there are seemingly so many firearms on the streets."

The 15 gang members were also connected to a shooting from October 2020 when a 14-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet and a May 2019 shooting when a 15-year-old playing basketball was shot, officials said.

"It’s part of gang culture now to shoot at opposition and rivals whenever you can," Gonzalez said. "...A real issue we have right now because these young men view this as some sort of sick game...We have to figure out how do we not only hold them accountable, but how do we change the culture that these young men are growing up in."

Investigators discovered the gang members often give themselves nicknames of basketball stars like "Kobe" or "Curry" and would joke about also being expert "shooters," Gonzalez said.

The 900 Gang crews in the larger indictment — called the Stack Money Goons and Jayson Fam —centered in Brooklyn's Sumner Houses, Tompkins Houses and 303 Vernon Avenue developments, officials said.

Those in the second indictment — known as the 1800/Humble crew — are found on the Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights border near the Jackie Robinson Houses, according to prosecutors. That indictment includes four gang members charged for a December 2019 shooting at the Kingsborough Houses, where the rival gang "Only The Borough" is found, officials said.

The 19 who were arrested, about half of whom are teenagers, face 20 year prison sentences if they are convicted of the shootings, Gonzalez said. Those charged in the two homicides face life sentences.

"These young people have not only caused a lot of harm, but have ruined their lives," Gonzalez said.

Charged in the 77-count indictment:

1. Jabari Albright, 17, of East Harlem, New York.
2. James Alston, 18, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
3. Tysean Devonish, 23, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
4. Jalen Elliot, 16, of Weeksville, Brooklyn.
5. Lamel Gunn, 20, of Brownsville, Brooklyn.
6. Nysair Harper, 17, of Far Rockaway, New York.
7. Kaireil Haynie, 18, of Stuyvesant Heights, Brooklyn.
8. Lamique Haynie, 20, of Stuyvesant Heights, Brooklyn.
9. Vincent Lilly, 18, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
10. Naccion McCray, 19, of East New York, Brooklyn.
11. Zion McDuffie, 20, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
12. Ronald Roberts, 19, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
13. Wydeem Rudd, 21, of Bronx, New York.
14. Shawn Singletary, 19, of Stuyvesant Heights, Brooklyn.
15. Alexander Williams, 24, of Brownsville, Brooklyn.

Charged in the 11-count indictment:

1. Infinite Berry, 21, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
2. Isaiah Johnson, 20, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
3. Andre Starkey, 20, of East New York, Brooklyn.
4. Kareem Waters, 22, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.