More than a dozen baby-faced reputed members of two Bloods-affiliated Brooklyn street gangs were knocked out of commission on murder, gun and conspiracy charges, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Fifteen gangbangers who are part of the H-Block and Billy gangs — described by prosecutors as part of “a territorial alliance” between the crews — were named in an 85-count indictment that includes charges for two murders and a series of shootings that left innocent bystanders wounded, prosecutors said.
“It’s infuriating to all of us standing up here, and hopefully to all of you that people are just enjoying a spring afternoon in front of their homes to be subjected to this violence,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told reporters at a press briefing on the bust.
“The main gangs targeted in this investigation are part of the Bloods gang,” Gonzalez said. “They are two Blood groups that have a territorial alliance with each other and during this investigation. One of those groups is called The 59 Brim, and their headquarters, so to speak, is in Bedford Stuyvesant on Herkimer Street, and they’re named H Block based on her history.
“The other Blood group is called Nine Train Billy, for short they call themselves Billy.”
Gonzalez said the suspected gangsters, who are as young as 14, are charged with initiating several brazen shootouts during a turf war with rival gangs.
The violence began in August 2021, when the H-Block crew opened fire on the rival Gates Fam gang and killed a 16-year-old member of the other gang while wounding three others, including a bystander.
The second fatal shooting came on June 25, 2022, when another 16-year-old rival gang member was shot and killed at a Brownsville playground shortly after 3 a.m.
The H-Block turf war with Gates Fam resulted in other casualties — in some cases during broad-daylight shootouts that left passersby wounded, including a 29-year-old man who suffered a spinal cord injury when he was struck during an April 12, 2022 shootout, officials said.
In a more recent incident, a Gates Fam member tried to use his car to ram H-Block gangbanger Michael Hammond while he rode a City Bike on Oct. 2 — only to have Hammond open fire and wound him.
Prosecutors said three members of Gate Fam will also be arraigned on charges as well.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Brooklyn DA’s Office and the NYPD.
“The formula is actually quite simple: When you remove the shooters, you reduce the shootings, but it doesn’t happen by luck,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Jason Savino said Wednesday. “Tens of thousands of hours are put into these cases dedicated exclusively to this mission.”
