36 Indicted In Brooklyn In A Week As Courts Restart Grand Juries

BROOKLYN, NY — Thirty-six people were indicted for violent crimes in Brooklyn in just the last week as the courts convene grand juries for the first time since they were suspended in March, the district attorney announced.

The indictments include suspects charged with a slew of violent crimes, including rape, murder and gang-related shootings, which have plagued the borough during a citywide surge in gun violence.

“With the resumption of grand juries, we are able to redouble our efforts at fighting violent crime in Brooklyn," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "The dozens of indictments we obtained over the past week ensure that dangerous offenders remain in custody as we seek to bring them to justice."

The announcement about the indictments came the same day that the District Attorney revealed a new bureau aimed at fighting the shooting surge, to be called the Gun Violence Suppression Bureau.

The 36 indictments were all carried out in the week since Aug. 11, when grand juries were allowed to restart after a pause put in place in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and police officials have repeatedly pointed to the pause on legal proceedings as a reason for the spike in shootings across the five boroughs, despite the fact that gun-related cases have still been making their way through the courts.

All 36 defendants who were indicted in Brooklyn were previously held on bail or remanded and are still detained.

They include suspects prosecutors say are behind a double homicide in East New York, a fatal shooting at a Brownsville deli, a shootout at a July 4 barbecue and a gang-motivated shooting from September of last year, according to the DA.

In all, the Homicide Bureau indicted 14 defendants and the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau indicted 11 defendants, with the Special Victims Bureau and Trial Bureaus accounting for the other indictments, the DA's office said.