Twenty alleged members of the violent Bronx gang known as “800 YGz” have been indicted in connection with a years-long crime spree that includes one murder, 14 non-fatal shootings and several robberies, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark announced Thursday.
Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch joined Clark for a press conference at the DA’s office, where officials revealed details of the massive takedown. Authorities said 17 of the 20 defendants are now in custody, and that more than half were minors at the time of the alleged crimes.
The gang, based at 800 East 180th St. in the West Farms section of the Bronx, has been linked to at least 73 crimes from April 2021 to July 2024, including the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Rafael Jiminez in June 2022. One of the accused was just 15 years old at the time of the killing, according to prosecutors.
Investigators recovered nine handguns during the course of the nearly three-year probe. Ballistics testing linked five of those weapons to 24 shootings across the Bronx and upper Manhattan.
Clark said the gang frequently opened fire in broad daylight on busy streets, terrorizing residents and endangering bystanders. “We will not allow our neighborhoods to be turned into war zones,” she said.
Clark presented multiple surveillance videos that captured the gang’s brazen violence, including a March 2024 incident in which the defendants opened fire on a barbershop. Their intended target returned fire, sparking chaos as customers and pedestrians scrambled for cover.
Additional footage showed suspects firing six rounds at a man walking toward an MTA bus near Westchester Avenue and West Farms Road. In two other clips, groups of defendants were seen unleashing gunfire in a courtyard adjacent to a middle school, further underscoring the danger posed to the community.
At the press conference, Adams compared their repeat violence to the 1993 film “Groundhog Day,” in which the main character lives the same day over and over again.
Adams criticized local laws he claims “handcuff” law enforcement from taking effective action against repeat offenders. He pointed to the City Council’s push to dismantle the NYPD’s gang database and the 2019 “Raise the Age” law—which ended the automatic prosecution of 16- and 17-year-olds as adults—as policies that, in his view, have already contributed to making the city less safe.
“Our lawmakers must be aligned with what is playing out on the ground in our communities,” he said. “You can’t stay in a sterilized environment of the legislative chamber and believe that just passing laws won’t impact how you keep the public safe.”
Tisch said that while shootings in New York City are at “the lowest levels in recorded history,” the month of April has seen a spike in violent crime in the Bronx, particularly the 40th, 46th and 48th precincts. This month, 63% of all shooting incidents in April have been in the Bronx, and 20% of all shootings citywide have occurred in the 46th precinct, Tisch said.
In response, additional officers are being deployed to the Bronx, and specialized units responsible for securing this indictment—as well as a recent sweeping gang takedown in Manhattan—will continue their targeted enforcement efforts.
“This surge in violence is one hundred percent driven by gangs, and the Trinitarios specifically, and we’re working with the DA, laser-focused on taking them down,” said Tisch.
Noting the young age of both the accused and the victims in this case, Clark called for more resources to be put toward young people to prevent the loss of a generation. “Our youth must stop choosing guns and gangs.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
