NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Thirteen alleged members of a gang based out of a NYCHA complex in East Harlem have been charged with carrying out 21 shootings in the span of less than three years, authorities say.
The 13 reputed “Chico Gang” members were indicted on charges including conspiracy, attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon on Wednesday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the NYPD said in a joint press release.
The gang, which is based in and around NYCHA’s Wagner Houses, was responsible for 21 shootings in the East Harlem area between Nov. 7, 2018 and July 29 of this year, prosecutors said.
A number of the 13 defendants charged Wednesday were recruited by older gang members who indicted in February 2019, according to prosecutors.
The gang has an ongoing rivalry with a gang based out of NYCHA’s Jefferson Houses, the DA’s office noted.
“This indictment is one part of our work to break the cycle of violence gripping East Harlem, as teens are recruited to take the place of older gang members and continue their bloody rivalries,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement.
“These defendants are alleged to have shot a dozen people, four of whom were unintended targets — including a 12-year-old boy,” he added.