Rash Of Gang-Related Gun Violence Leads To Slew Of Arrests: YPD

YONKERS, NY — Yonkers police have made an important stride in efforts to knock down a recent spike in gun violence in the city.

Today, Mayor Mike Spano and Police Commissioner Chris Sapienza announced multiple arrests in relation to the spate of gang-related shooting incidents over the last few weeks, including the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Daquon Powell on Morris Street.

On May 31, shortly before 8:30 p.m., Yonkers police were on the scene at Morris Street on a report of a shooting. Officers found an unresponsive man at the scene with gunshot wounds to his abdomen. The victim was on the street next to a black sedan.

First responders administered CPR and rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. A second victim was also found at the scene with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg.

Detectives from the Major Case Squad, Gang Unit, Crime Scene Unit, and Digital Forensics Unit believe Powell was driving the black sedan with the second victim, an 18-year-old resident of Yonkers, sitting in the front passenger seat. The sedan was headed eastbound on Morris Street and stopped in front of a house. As the passenger exited the car, an assailant ran up to the driver’s window and fired six gunshots through the window, striking Powell six times and the passenger once.

The gunman, along with two accomplices, fled the scene. Investigators learned that the three of them had been lying in wait in the house’s driveway for Powell to arrive, and believe that the shooting is related to gang violence and that the teen was targeted for assassination.

Detectives soon identified several "persons of interest." The suspected gunman was not local and resided out of state. His two suspected accomplices were also implicated, along with a third person, in a shooting on May 13, near Livingston Avenue, where a 42-year-old man from Brooklyn was shot in the chest and survived in critical condition.

As the investigation into the separate, but connected incidents continued, Yonkers police responded to another shooting on June 4, just after 4 p.m. on Riverdale Avenue. A gunman fired at least seven shots at two dirt bike riders. The shots missed their targets but struck a random vehicle across the street occupied by two brothers in their 30s. No one was injured.

Police believe that this latest shooting was also related to the ongoing gang violence. Investigators also discovered that the gun used in the Riverdale Avenue shooting was likely the same weapon that was used to murder Powell.

At this point, detectives were able to identify the suspected perpetrators in all three incidents. Working with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, and the City of Danbury, Connecticut Police Department, members of the Yonkers Police Department arrested four suspects on Tuesday night, and in the early morning hours of Wednesday.

"Yonkers remains one of the safest of the big 5 cities in New York state, thanks to the hard work, skills, and training of our Yonkers Police Department," Mayor Mike Spano said. "Far too many young people are following the wrong path and if they become a threat to public safety or themselves, they will be arrested. I applaud the Yonkers Police Department on this investigation, and I hope these juvenile offenders are swiftly brought to justice to avoid any repetitive crimes in our City."

SEE ALSO: 1 Westchester Teen Killed, 1 In Hospital After Overnight Gun Violence

Matthew Quiones, a 20-year-old resident of Danbury, Connecticut, was charged with murder 2, for the killing of Daquon Powell, according to police.

A 17-year-old resident of Yonkers, was charged with attempted murder 2, assault 1, criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy for his actions in the Livingston Avenue shooting, police said. Investigators said the teen, whose name has not been released, was also present with Quiones at the Morris Street fatal shooting.

A 16-year-old resident of Yonkers was charged with attempted murder 2, assault 1, criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy for his actions in the Livingston Avenue shooting, according to cops. Investigators said the teen was also present with Quiones during the Morris Street homicide.

A 16-year-old resident of Yonkers was charged with attempted murder 2, assault 1, criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy or his actions in the Livingston Avenue shooting, according to police. He is also facing a hindering prosecution charge for his actions related to a shooting incident that occurred on March 23 in the area of 67 Elliott Avenue where there were no reported injuries

In addition to these arrests, Yonkers police have identified another teen as the suspected perpetrator in the Riverdale Avenue shooting. Detectives are working to locate and arrest him. Although 18 years old now, this suspect was 17 at the time of the shooting.

"Public space gun violence is an outrageous threat to the safety of our residents and community members and elicits the strongest response from law enforcement," Commissioner Sapienza said. "As these incidents were unfolding in a short period of time, our investigators were quickly piecing everything together to make these arrests and put an end to the violence. Yonkers is a very safe city for our size, and the YPD will always stand watch at the vanguard of public safety to ensure that crime or the fear of crime will never be allowed to degrade our communities – now it is up to the Courts to make sure that these individuals, regardless of age, are held fully accountable to the maximum extent of the law."

Sapienza thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, and the Danbury, Connecticut Police Department for their assistance. The City of Yonkers and the Yonkers Police Department offered their condolences to the family of the victim.

During the execution of search warrants on Riverdale Avenue, two semiautomatic 9mm pistols were recovered. One weapon was thrown out a window as police approached, and another was recovered in the possession of one of the teenage suspects, police said. Both were unlawfully possessed.

Detectives are awaiting ballistic testing on the weapons to see if they are connecting to any ongoing investigations.

In addition to the arrests, the Yonkers Police Department, at the direction of Mayor Spano, has increased motor and foot patrols in those areas of the city where much of the violence has occurred. The community should expect to see a strengthened presence of both uniform and plain-clothes officers, according to police.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact the Yonkers Police Detective Division at (914) 377-7724. All calls may remain confidential, according to police. Anonymous tips, including gang related intel, can be sent by texting the key word YPD plus the tip to CRIMES (274637). Anonymous tips can also be sent to police directly through the Yonkers Police website by clicking on the submit a tip button.