Thirty-two alleged members and associates of a Queens gang accused of waging a four-year turf war marked by shootings near schools, parks, and residential blocks have been indicted on murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy charges, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
The yearlong probe, dubbed Operation Shadyville, is the largest single gang takedown in the history of the Queens DA’s office, Katz said. The defendants, linked to the Bad-Co Ballout gang and affiliated Crips sets, are accused of at least 13 shootings since 2021, including three homicides and multiple attacks involving teenagers and bystanders.
“This gang is the most violent in the borough, and this investigation is the largest gang takedown ever done by our office,” Katz said at a Nov. 20 press conference. She said the crew “terrorized neighborhoods with gunfire,” adding that authorities recovered 17 firearms during the investigation.
Katz said alleged gang leader Jahvon “Shady” Attapoku armed and organized teenage recruits and authorized shootings of rivals. Members referred to the area as “Shadyville,” a name Katz rejected.
“I refuse to give up the neighborhood. It’s called Queens Village,” she said.
Queens gangsters left trails of destruction and blood
The 32 defendants, ages 15 to 24, include alleged leaders and foot soldiers of the Bad-Co Ballout gang. Prosecutors said they are facing charges that range from murder, attempted murder, assault, and robbery to conspiracy, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment.
Among those named is 21-year-old “Shady”, accused of leading the crew and orchestrating multiple shootings, and Jeff “Havoc” Joseph, 21, of Bellerose Manor, charged with murder and other violent offenses. Several defendants are teenagers, some as young as 15, facing serious charges, including attempted murder and weapons violations.
Other defendants include Mekhi “ScarFaxe” Hooi, 21, of South Jamaica; Jaebets “Speedy” Pierre, 21, of Fresh Meadows; and Jsean “Jay Recc” Philogene, 24, of Elmont.
Investigators said the defendants regularly traveled through rival territories on bicycles, scooters, or in cars to seek out targets, a practice they referred to as “spinning the block.” Katz said social media taunts often fueled the violence, and many shootings occurred in broad daylight or near schools, playgrounds, and residential blocks.
One defendant earned the nickname “Broad Day” for his alleged participation in multiple daytime shootings.
The indictment outlines several high-profile incidents, including a March 2022 shooting behind Cardozo High School in Bayside, where a 16-year-old was struck.
In June 2022, a 15-year-old Bronx Science student was hit in the leg inside her home after 23 rounds were fired at a rival on her street in St. Albans.
In November 2022, 18-year-old Mark Greene was fatally shot outside his high school in Kew Gardens Hills following a robbery of his gun.
One of the more tragic incidents occurred in September 2024, when 66-year-old motorist William Alcindor was killed by gunfire in St. Albans, causing his car to crash into a 23-year-old pedestrian, who suffered serious injuries.
Other attacks included gunfire through a McDonald’s window in Cambria Heights, shots fired into occupied homes, and multiple incidents in or near Wayanda Park and surrounding residential blocks on 188th Street and Linden Boulevard.
The indictment charges six defendants with first-degree conspiracy, a count that carries up to life in prison. In addition to the killings, prosecutors said gang members carried out daytime shootings across Queens Village, Cambria Heights, St. Albans, Bayside, and Kew Gardens Hills.
Eighteen defendants were arraigned on Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court. Five others were arraigned separately, six remain in custody on unrelated matters and will be produced later, and three are still being sought.
At Thursday’s press conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny credited detectives from the Gun Violence Suppression Division for dismantling a gang that had “turned peaceful neighborhoods into their own deadly playground.”
“If you shoot a gun in New York City, the NYPD will stop at nothing to find you, arrest you, and hold you accountable,” Kenny said.
