10 Arrested In 2 Days In Brooklyn Gun Violence Crackdown: Feds

BROOKLYN, NY — Ten New Yorkers were arrested last week in a crackdown on illegal guns in Brooklyn, where an ongoing surge in shootings has plagued the borough this summer.

The two-day operation — from Aug. 4 to 6 — brought together federal agents and the NYPD to bust those who have been previously convicted of a crime for illegally carrying a firearm as part of the "Project Safe Neighborhoods" program, according to prosecutors.

The 10 separate arrests spanned much of the eastern half of the borough, where gun violence has run rampant this year. There have been roughly double the shootings in both the Brooklyn North and Brooklyn South patrol areas in 2020 compared to 2019, according to NYPD data..

“The one tried and true way to reduce the rapid spike in gun violence we’ve experienced in Brooklyn this summer is to take the guns out of the hands of repeat offenders and take those offenders off of our streets,” said Seth D. DuCharme, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The 10 people arrested were charged with "being a felon in possession of a firearm." They each had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by at least a year in prison, according to DuCharme.

If convicted, they will face up to 10 years in jail.

Here are a list of the arrests, according to a release from prosecutors:

• Dashawn Andrews, 29, from Brooklyn: "On August 6, 2020 Andrews was indicted for possessing a Taurus, model PT-22, .22LR caliber pistol and ammunition on Livonia Avenue near Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn."

• Paolo Alfaro Barbero, 29: "On August 6, 2020, in front of 2501 Newkirk Avenue in Brooklyn, NYPD Officers observed an L-shaped bulge in a bag hanging from Alfaro Barber’s neck. When the bag was searched, officers found a Taurus .38 caliber revolver loaded with six rounds of .38 caliber ammunition."

• Terrence Brown, 24: "On August 6, 2020, Brown was indicted for possessing a Taurus PT 111, 9mm pistol found in his apartment at 419 Blake Ave. in Brooklyn during a search by New York State Parole Officers and NYPD Officers."

• Jahquel Giddeon, 20: "On August 6, 2020, Giddeon was indicted for possessing a loaded Ruger 380 semi-automatic pistol found under a mattress during a search of his apartment on Rockaway Parkway by New York State Parole Officers."

• Macye McCall, 27: "On August 6, 2020, McCall was indicted for possessing a Taurus, Model 85, .38 Special caliber revolver. NYPD Officers discovered the gun after they pulled over a Range Rover in which McCall was a passenger for driving the wrong way down a one way street off Sutter Avenue in Brooklyn."

• Tony McQueen, 32: "On August 6, 2020, McQueen was arrested for possessing a Smith & Wesson Model M&P 9C caliber 9mm pistol loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition in a vehicle where he was found intoxicated and passed out behind the wheel at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Boyland Street in Brooklyn."

• Avery Millington, 25: "On August 6, 2020, Millington was indicted for possession of Charter Arms Undercover .38 Special Pistol loaded with five rounds of .38 caliber ammunition after he was observed driving a Hyundai the wrong way on Bristol Street near Newport Avenue in Brooklyn."

• Keenen Nurse, 29: "On August 4, 2020, Nurse was arrested on a complaint charging him with possessing a loaded Jimenez Arms .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol hidden under the stairwell in a residential building on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Nurse’s DNA was found on the firearm."

• Marvin Pickett, 38: "On August 6, 2020, Pickett was arrested on an indictment charging him with possessing a Taurus .380 caliber pistol while allegedly driving drunk and crashing into a Citibike stand at Nassau and Navy Streets in downtown Brooklyn on March 28, 2020."

• Aaron Swaby, 27: "On August 6, 2020, Swaby was indicted for possessing a Smith & Wesson, Model SD40VE, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol inside a vehicle stopped by NYPD Officers for a traffic infraction on Surf Avenue in Brooklyn."