New York City two-year investigation nets indictment of 23 alleged Crips gang members: DA

New York City police, alongside the Queens District Attorney conducted a two-year investigation called, "Operation AQtively Movin," that resulted in the indictment last week of 23 alleged members of the notorious gang, the Crips.

The indictments involve members of two subsets of the Crips street gang – one based in the Astoria Houses and the other in the Woodside Houses – who were charged with crimes like attempted murder, reckless endangerment and gun possession for violent incidents that took place in broad daylight, and sometimes near children.

"Warring gangs are not just a threat to themselves, but to all of us," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "The reckless criminality we saw during the course of this investigation is the kind of lawlessness that has killed law-abiding New Yorkers caught in the crossfire of gang gun violence. I commend the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Unit and my Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau for their outstanding work over the course of this long investigation, and I thank them for the important work they do."

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The defendants are part of an 85-count indictment in which many of the alleged gang members were arraigned in court last week after being charged with conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree attempted murder, reckless endangerment, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. They face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

According to a press release from Katz, the Woodside and Astoria housing development gangs were aligned up until Aug. 4, 2018, when Isiah King of Woodside Houses assaulted Djuan Price of Astoria Houses over a drug deal.

The following day, Price and his brother, Elijah Price, sought retaliation and went to the Woodside Houses, armed with handguns. But the brothers were unable to find King. Instead, they found Jaffvonta Reid, a friend of King’s and a fellow gang member, and shot him in the leg, the DA said.

The bad blood between the gangs, according to the DA, was fueled by social media and rap videos that taunted the opposite side and involved over 18 incidents of gun-related violence resulting in attempted murder, and even homicide.

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In one incident at about 6:30 p.m. on June 14, 2020, Woodside members Devine Moore and Michael Shepherd left a bodega, with the latter firing a gun at a ve3hicle passing by that was believed to be occupied by a rival gang member. When Shepherd fired his gun, the car was next to an ice cream truck where a little girl was dancing. The DA said the girl covered her ears at the sound of the gunfire.

The next day, Astoria gang members allegedly walked into the Woodside development and fired at members of the Woodside gang who were in a courtyard with residents and several small children.

The 23 alleged gang members who were indicted include:

• Delante Aiken, 21, of Queens who was charged with second-degree conspiracy and other crimes
• Tahji Alexander, 25, of Queens who was charged with second-degree conspiracy and other crimes
• Kechante Brown, 29, of Queens who was charged with two counts of attempted murder
• Timothy Brown, 33, of the Bronx who was charged with four counts of attempted murder
• Shalimar Carson, 33, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Kaiam Donovan, 40 of Queens who was charged with second-degree conspiracy
• Nasir Fisher, 23, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Barkim Hicks, 28, of Queens who was charged with second-degree conspiracy
• Hakeem Jamison, 28, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Amir Jordan, 22, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Waliek McCaskill, 33, of Queens who was charged with second-degree conspiracy
• Miguel Tapia, 23, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Yurhun Palacios, 27, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Djuan Price, 32, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Elijah Price, 26, of Queens who was charged with three counts of second-degree attempted murder
• Luis Ramirez, 22, of Queens who was charged with fourth-degree conspiracy
• Milton Ribot, 22, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Sean Roberts, 27, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Michael Shepard, 27, of Queens who was charged with second-degree attempted murder
• Jaheen Stephenson, 21, of Queens who was charged with four counts of second-degree attempted murder
• David Wilson, 30, of Queens who was charged with four counts of second-degree attempted murder

"Since day one, public safety has been our administration’s top priority, and that’s why we have been working around the clock to stop gun violence and to keep guns and repeat offenders off our streets," New York City mayor Eric Adams said. "This case is another victory in our work to remove New York’s most dangerous individuals from our communities. I applaud District Attorney Katz and the brave members of the NYPD for their tireless work bringing these 23 individuals to justice for carrying out these heinous acts that put the lives of New Yorkers, including children, at risk."

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The joint investigation was conducted by the Queens DA’s office, detectives with the NYPD Violence Reduction Task Force and the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division.