A group of purported Brooklyn gang members, known for rapping threats against rival gangs and shooting up innocent victims, were charged in a 69-count indictment, Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said on Tuesday.
The nine gang members, who allegedly belonged to the Brownsville-based Loot Gang, range in age from 15 to 25 and were charged in connection with 10 incidents — including seven shootings — from November 2015 to August 2016, Gonzalez said. The charges run the gamut, including first-, second-, third- and fourth-degree conspiracy and second-degree murder.
Their victims were often innocent bystanders, including the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Terrell Henry, a student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who was allegedly picked off the street in Bushwick because he was wearing red shorts and mistaken for being part of a rival gang, Gonzalez said. Henry was shot twice outside a bodega after he left a party to buy an iced tea.
In a separate incident, one of the Loot Gang members allegedly shot up the Rico Chimi restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Jamaica, aiming for Tysheen Gott, allegedly a rival gang member. But in his attempt to get away, Gott grabbed a 33-year-old woman and held her in front of him.
Gott was shot five times, including in his legs and groin, and the woman suffered three gunshot wounds to her leg.
Gang members often posted on Facebook and uploaded rap videos to YouTube and SoundCloud aimed at antagonizing rival gangs, according to the DA’s office.
One video about retaliation for a gang member who was killed called “Rocky World” received nearly half a million views on YouTube.
