Transcript: Mayor Adams Makes Public Safety-Related Announcement with Bronx DA Darcel Clark and NYPD Commissioner Tisch

April 17, 2025

Video available at: https://youtu.be/FPk9fPh_FXI

Darcel Clark, District Attorney, Bronx County: Good afternoon. Thank you, everyone, for coming. I stand here with Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to announce that 20 alleged gang members have been indicted, brought to justice for carrying out some of the most brazen, terrifying incidents of gunfire inflicted on a neighborhood. 

The good people of the Bronx are enduring gun violence, and we can speak about it all we want, but to see it will show you what they go through as they're trying to live their everyday lives. And it must stop. Our youth must stop choosing guns and gangs. With me are Christine Scaccia, who is chief of the Homicide Bureau, Major Case Assistant Attorney Sonia Jamelo of Trial Bureau 60, James Brennan, deputy chief of our Trial Division, and Theresa Gottlieb, who is the chief of the Trial Division. 

They worked with the NYPD to build this case against the members of the 800 YGZ gang that includes a murder and 14 shootings. This conspiracy of violence turned the West Farms neighborhood into a shooting gallery. They allegedly threatened the lives of schoolchildren, shoppers, along with anyone who walked down the street in daytime, violating the basic right to be safe. 

These defendants allegedly shot at rival gangs without any regard for the innocent bystanders caught in between them in the line of fire. In one incident, they shot a man in the head and killed him. Half of the defendants were teenagers when they committed these crimes. They are variously charged in a 73-count indictment with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, attempted murder in the second degree, reckless endangerment, robbery, assault, and conspiracy. 

Members of the NYPD Gun Suppression Division and Bronx Violence Reduction Task Force and the Bronx Warrant Squad arrested seven of the defendants on Tuesday. They were arraigned by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph McCormack. Five were remanded, which means they're in without any possibility of bail. One had bail set, and one was placed on supervised release. And they're due back in court on April 21st. 

Three defendants haven't been arrested, and 10 are currently incarcerated and will be arraigned on this indictment at a future date. The 800 YGZ gang, based at 800 East 180th Street here in the Bronx, allegedly carried out 15 shootings in and near West Farms here in the Bronx against rival gang members. Investigators recovered nine firearms over the course of the investigation, and I guess those are the guns there. 

Five of these guns that were recovered were linked ballistically to 24 other shootings in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. The incidents outlined in the indictment occurred between April 2021 and July 2024. After Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch speak, we will show you some of these egregious incidents on video. 

And they include, on August 28th, 2023, at approximately 2.55 p.m., in front of 997 East 179th Street, two of the defendants, acting in concert with an unidentified individual, allegedly opened fire on rival gang members just a few feet away from a man and a woman with three young children. Video footage shows the gunmen shooting over the family, their faces filled with fear and one child clinging to an adult for protection. 

On April 1st, 2023, at approximately 6.30 p.m., at a courtyard next to Middle School 129 Academy for Independent Learning and Leadership on Mapes Avenue, the defendants, upon seeing opposition gang members on a scooter nearby, allegedly started shooting across the schoolyard, and videos show children running for their lives. 

At the same location on December 4th, the defendants can be seen on video ushering numerous kids off the basketball court of the schoolyard and then firing multiple shots at rivals. On March 1st, 2024, at approximately 1:54 p.m., in front of 926 East Tremont Avenue, four of the defendants allegedly approached a barbershop and fired shots into it from the sidewalk. The target returned the fire. People outside scattered while patrons in the barbershop ducked for cover during the gun battle. 

And lastly, one of the other incidents on February 23rd, 2023, at approximately 4:42 p.m., near Westchester Avenue and West Farms Road, two of the defendants acting in concert allegedly fired six rounds at a man walking to the MTA bus at a busy intersection. Video surveillance shows the target and several bystanders rolling on the ground seeking cover under the bus. 

This has to stop, and today is a way that we are holding these people accountable for causing the harm and the violence in our community. Now I'll ask Mayor Adams to have a few words.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, D.A. Clark, and this entire team that's here, and I want to thank the New York City police commissioner and the men and women of the New York City Police Department for their relentless pursuit to address the violence that was just given– received a description of by the District Attorney. 

I think our head of homicide said something in our briefing that really impacted. It's almost like Groundhog Day. It's the repeated violence by a small number of people who have a total disregard for the safety of New Yorkers. And as the D.A. gave the description of some of the violence that took place, just imagine if you are in the schoolyard and your children have to run and flee from gun violence, or if you're on the bus stop about to board a bus and someone shoots an individual that's on the line with you. 

The violence that we're seeing from these small numbers of people, the numerical minority that believe that they do not have to follow any laws and they will continue their violence, and the police commissioner will go through some of the recidivism numbers of some of these individuals. 

This violence is at the heart of our pursuit, and no one has done it better than District Attorney Clark. Understanding the balance, as she speaks to young people all the time, that we want to take you off the pathway of violence, but if you don't, you will end up in this area we're in right now. That's the balance we need. 

My job as the mayor of the City of New York is to protect every resident and create the proper programs and incentives to take young people off the pathway of violence. What is heartbreaking about this for both of us, the district attorney and I, is that many of the victims are Black and brown, and many of those who are inflicted in violence are Black and brown. 

Her husband, being a 40-year detective, knows what it is to respond to these crime scenes and speak to family members and loved ones that are inflicted by this violence. This is not just professional, it's personal. It is inflicting our communities in a very real way. And these are, and I believe and will continue to say, the failure of policies and the failure of laws that don't quite understand. 

These young people are getting younger and younger. One of the individuals involved in the homicide was 15 years old. When you look at 15, 16, 17 year olds who have a just callous approach and a total disregard for the safety of the people in their communities, it sends the wrong message. Our lawmakers must be in alignment with what is playing out on the ground in our communities. 

We cannot have groundhog days of violence in our city. Even if the bullet does not hit its intended target, it rips apart the anatomy and the belief of being safe in our communities, and much of the violence we're seeing is isolated to certain parts of the city. That's why I don't believe we're seeing the urgency that we should be seeing. 

This description and the videos you're going to see is going to show the urgency that hardworking people in our city are asking for an end to this violence. And we're going to partner with this District Attorney's Office and the Police Department and my administration to do everything that's possible to get it done. But we're going to need help from our lawmakers. You cannot stay in a sterilized environment of a legislative chamber and believe that just passing laws won't impact how you keep New Yorkers safe. 

Safety is a prerequisite to our prosperity, and it's the north star of the men and women who are standing here today. And D.A., I thank you for what you have done throughout the years in the borough of the Bronx, how you have consistently prevented violence and responded accordingly when violence takes place in your borough. We could not have asked for a better partner, and we look forward to continuing the work that you and your team have currently done. And I thank your entire team for this investigation and bringing these individuals to justice. Thank you very much. I'm going to bring up the police commissioner of the City of New York, Jessica Tisch.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Good afternoon. Just over a week ago, we stood in Manhattan announcing a major gang takedown, led once again by the Gun Violence Suppression Division, many of whose members you see here today. Today, we're in the Bronx, same unit, same mission, different borough, because no matter where or when, these elite detectives continue to build precise, targeted cases that identify, investigate, and dismantle these violent crews. 

This time, the focus is on the Crotona section of the Bronx and on the street gang that call themselves the 800 YGZ. 20 members of that crew have been indicted, and as of this afternoon, 17 are already in custody. Three remain outstanding, and we will find them. 

Of course, our criminal group database was an important tool used to understand associations and rivalries throughout this investigation. We took nearly half of the known members of this gang off the street in this one case. It's how precision police work gets done, and it's another reminder of why calls to abolish this tool by some of the City Council are so dangerous. 

This investigation spanned two and a half years, and it closed out 14 separate shootings, including one homicide, two nonfatal shootings, and 11 more incidents where shots were fired but no one was struck. But let's be clear, that doesn't mean no one was in danger. 

Twelve of these shootings occurred in broad daylight. In one case, six rounds were fired at a city bus as people were getting off. In another, bullets flew just feet from a family standing on the sidewalk with two small children. This is indiscriminate violence. It's an absolute disregard for human life. And for this gang, it ends today. 

The numbers behind this case speak volumes. Prior to this takedown, these 800 YGZ members have been arrested 14 times for gun possession. They've been arrested for robbery on 34 separate occasions. And eight of the 20 indicted individuals have fired a gun at least three times. This is what recidivism looks like in real life. Not just statistics on a page, but the same people committing the same violent acts again and again. 

Nine illegal guns were recovered in this case, five of which were ballistically matched to shootings in the indictment. And it's part of a broader public safety trend. Under our mayor's leadership, the NYPD has driven shootings to the lowest levels in recorded history. Also in the first quarter, shooting victims dropped by 23 percent. Murders fell by 34 percent. And we've already taken more than 1,500 illegal firearms off the street this year, bringing the total to over 21,000 guns seized since the start of the mayor's administration. 

That is not a coincidence. That is strategy. It's the result of precision policing and the relentless work of units like the Gun Violence Suppression Division. I want to thank Mayor Adams for his continued support and leadership. He truly is the public safety mayor. He knows what it takes. He backs this work. And because of that, New Yorkers today are safer. 

I also want to thank our great Bronx District Attorney, Darcel Clark, for her partnership and for her office's partnership on this case. And to the detectives who brought this case home, thank you for your dedication, your passion, and your exceptional commitment to this work. 

I can't be in the Bronx today and not mention that in the past three weeks, we are seeing a concerning uptick in violent crime, specifically shootings and homicides across three precincts, the 4-0, the 4-6, and the 4-8. In March, we sent almost 150 cops to commands in the Bronx. And today, we are building on our zone strategy, which sends about 120 cops in mobile field forces to the Bronx every day, and deploying an additional 70 specialized officers to the area in this borough. 

The people of the Bronx need help, and I want to stress that this is a very recent spike in violence. In the first quarter, the Bronx was down 33 percent in shootings compared to 2024. But in April, 63 percent of our citywide shooting incidents have occurred in the borough of the Bronx. And nearly 20 percent of all shootings citywide have occurred this month in one precinct, the 4-6. 

This surge in violence is 100 percent driven by gangs, and the Trinitarios specifically. And we are working with the DA, laser-focused, on taking them down. Thank you. 

District Attorney Clark: So now we're going to show the video. 

[Video plays.] 

District Attorney Clark: Questions on this topic, please? 

Question: Commissioner Tisch you mentioned [inaudible] gang database. How could you work with stitching together associations and all of that to unify the matter?

Joseph Kenny, Chief of Detectives, Police Department: So when you look at this gang, the 800 YGZ, there's 38 total members in this gang. And 15 of them are entered into this database. But what's more important, if you look at their ops, right, meaning they're an opposition gang, there's nine of them. So 197 documented gang members in the opposition, meaning who they're fighting with. So when you take a look at [the] video and you see who's on the scene, who's pulling the triggers, who's a victim of these crimes, it kind of puts together who's involved, where the locations are going to be, and that helps precinct commanders with their deployment to prevent further violence.

Mayor Adams: And if I could just interject, this is why when you make policies and laws that are in opposition of what it takes to put in place safety, that's the problem. And so here we are seeing a law passed in the City Council to disband a tool that's used to stop this. So we are handcuffing the investigators. And those who are making those rules and laws, they're not going to the hospital to visit these families. 

They're not going to the funerals. They're not talking about and seeing the impact of this. That's what's harmful of what's taking place in our legislative chambers. They're making laws that handcuff the district attorneys, that handcuff the investigators, and they are allowing these individuals to commit these crimes, and they're smart. They read the papers, and they will tell us, I'll be out tomorrow.

Question: Did any of these defendants or any of them previously arrested on similar crimes and if there are any details of those crimes?

Chief Kenny: So on fourteen total occasions, someone from this gang was arrested with a firearm. On eight occasions, arrested for attempted murder or reckless endangerment. You have incidents where 11 of the 20 have allegedly fired a gun, and then more than half have been arrested for a robbery, for over thirty-four separate robberies. So they do have prior criminal histories that we are aware of.

[Inaudible.] 

Question: So given the work of the gun suppression team and the arrests that have been made, can you talk about the frustrations and the number of guns that have been seen to explode in the neighborhood and the kids who can't seem to keep their hands off of them? 

District Attorney Clark: You're right. It's frustrating. It's devastating to communities because people are getting hurt. We're losing a generation of these kids, either because they're going to be arrested and they're facing trial now because of indictment, what we're doing here, or they end up dead or shot or hurt, seriously injured. 

So yeah, it's really frustrating. We're doing all that we can. Look, we're doing this to do these crude takedowns, but don't think that we're not also working on the flow of guns coming into the Bronx and into our city in the first place. That work is always going on. That's why we're able to see, you know, not only do we have nine guns here, but because of the work that we do, we could match the ballistics to know where else they've been involved. 

So we're staying on top of that, including how the gun gets here, as well as how it's being used and what impact it's having on the community. 

Question: [Inaudible.]

District Attorney Clark: No, they're being charged as whatever age they were at the time is reverting back to when they committed the crime. We have to do it that way.

Question: Can you talk about [inaudible] legislation…[inaudible]. 

Mayor Adams: I'm referring to all of them. You could connect the dots between the law and the action. Disbanding the gang database is going to have a negative impact. We just heard the chief of detectives state, the role that the gang database played. When you look at the problem with discovery and what the D.A’s were mentioning for years, when I was sitting down with the district attorneys, they're saying this is making us challenging for us to prosecute. 

So you could see a direct correlation. When you look at some of the laws that were passed, they're still in recidivism. We just heard the numbers. The numbers don't lie. You're seeing how people who are arrested repeatedly, I think the head of the homicide bureau, she hit it out the park. This has become groundhog day for crime. 

Over and over, same people doing the same actions, a total disregard. And then look at the connection of race to age. We saw this during the 70s and early 80s, when drug dealers would give drugs to younger people because they know they would not be held responsible at the same level. We're seeing there's a direct correlation. Race to age comes into place. Victims are younger, shooters are younger. 

So all we have to do is just connect the dots. Laws are passed in the City Council, laws are passed in Albany, and you're seeing them play out on the streets of the City of New York. It needs to stop. We have to ask one question. What side are you on? That's the question you have to ask. I'm on the side of innocent New Yorkers that should not have their children run from gun violence, that should not have to walk on the bus and worry about someone shooting them, that should not be sitting inside their homes and a bullet goes through. 

We've been there before. We used to have drills of young people in their homes, hearing gunshots or backup cars, and they immediately fall to the floor. We can't go back there. Which side are you on? I know which side I'm on. 

Question: Yeah. D.A. Clark, you mentioned the efforts that you've done for getting guns off the streets and continuing operations. Mayor, you talked about 21,000 plus guns in the City of New York. We've talked about it. With those numbers and that continuing capacity for guns to come in, is this really an unstoppable situation? 

District Attorney Clark: Well, you know, the federal laws play a role in this as well. I mean, the Supreme Court has spoken and it's easier to buy guns, it's easier to have them. Luckily, the courts did recently uphold that New York State in particular, with our gun laws, that we are able to still restrict the areas where people could carry them. They have the right to carry them now more. 

The Supreme Court has spoken on that. But we at least have been successful in the U.S. Supreme Court [saying] that we can still restrict the areas where people are allowed to have them. But that doesn't mean that we don't stop trying to get them coming in here in the first place. Going to the hands of people that really should not have them.

Question: [Inaudible.]

District Attorney Clark: They should feel safer, yes, because we had taken down a crew that was causing devastation and havoc. What's important now is [what] we do after that, not only just this indictment, but we need to invest in [the] community. Those same people that want to feel safe, we need to do more to bring in resources to make sure that they continue to be safe. Alright. Thank you.