Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner joined Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel on Monday for an update on arrests and charges stemming from deadly shootings that happened in the city in 2021 and 2022 -- and the meeting turned into something of a discourse on gang violence in Philly.
The event was set to announce the arrests of eight people -- seven of them members of the Big Naddy Gang, a group that operated in the Strawberry Mansion community -- who, Krasner said, was responsible for at least four deadly shootings as well as several non-fatal shooting incidents.
"BNG is history. They are done," said the district attorney in touting the arrests.
Who was BNG?
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The group, Krasner explained, grew following the death of Namir Johnson, who was murdered in 2021. Despite that crime being prosecuted, Assistant District Attorney Joe Lanuti, of the District Attorney's Gun Violence Task Force said these individuals used Johnson's death as a reason to commit additional crimes.
"This group went on to commit a spree of gun violence that was unrelated to Nadir's death, even though they used Nadir as justification for their spree of gun violence," said Lanuti.
During the day, officials announced that a grand jury determined that eight people -- Jamir Brunson-Gans, 21, Dontae Sutton, 20, Khalil Henry, 20, Elijah Soto, 19, Nakye Williams, 19, Haneef Davis, 19, Jahlil Williams, 25, and Rahmeir Hayes, 22 -- were implicated in the killing of four people along with being involved in shootings in which eight people were injured.
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All eight suspects are charged with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and other offenses.
Also, officials said, all but one of these individuals were members of the Big Naddy Gang.
Lanuti said these shootings were due to a variety of crimes ranging from carjacking to murder-for-hire. But, he said, while the crimes may have been over money or vehicles, what members of this gang desperately wanted was notoriety.
"They wanted a reputation for being violent and dangerous," Lanuti said.
Shootings tied to BNG members
Officials said that the members of the Big Naddy Gang were tied to slayings of at least four people.
In a statement on the charges, the District Attorney's Office said that Jahlil Williams, Sutton, Brunson-Gans, Soto, Nakye Williams, Henry, and Davis are believed to have murdered 24-year-old Chaundrah Jones, a mother of two children, near the intersection of 33rd and Diamond Streets on Sept. 29, 2021.
Investigators believe this incident -- in which, two other women were wounded -- was a contract killing and the shooters "targeted the wrong people."
Before this incident, officials claim, Soto, Sutton, Henry, and Hayes were involved in the murder of Jerrick Jenkins, 33, who was killed on Sept. 18, 2021 in an incident that happened along the 2900 block of West York Street.
A few weeks before that incident, officials allege that Brunson-Gans, Soto, and Sutton were involved in the killing of 19-year-old Jordan Murray that happened on Sept. 6, 2021 on the 2200 block of West Huntingdon Street.
Just one day before Murray's slaying, officials claim, Brunson-Gans and Sutton were also involved in the attempted murder of an individual who was shot multiple times along the 3100 block of North Judson Street.
Officials also allege that Nakye Williams and Davis were involved in the shooting of another individual who was leaving a candlelight vigil for a young homicide victim on the evening of October 10, 2021 on the 2600 block of North 22nd Street.
Finally, law enforcement officials allege Nakye Williams killed Jemeel Mccoy, 42, during a carjacking on Jan. 2, 2022, near the 2500 block of North 28th Street.
Philly has 'well over a hundred' gangs
While discussing gang violence in the city, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Bethel talked about the difficulty in breaking up groups like the Big Naddy Gang.
In fact, Bethel said, he believes the city has "well over a hundred" of what he called neighborhood gang sets or groups. He said that, unlike well-known groups, like the Bloods and the Crips in Los Angeles, California, groups in Philadelphia tend to be 'fractured" and smaller.
He said that members of these gangs do this in an effort to make groups that may work together but seem separate in order to keep from getting caught.
"We do have a number of groups in the city and we are working with all of our departments and agencies to address a plethora of them. But, some of them are a lot more violent than others," said Bethel.
Krasner too discussed his office's efforts to help combat gang violence, noting that groups in Philadelphia tend to be smaller and tied to proximity and neighborhood, not spread out or tied to groups in other cities.
'This work matters'
In announcing these charges, Commissioner Bethel noted the impact that breaking up this gang could do for the community in Strawberry Mansion where the Big Naddy Gang operated.
"This work matters. It shows the individuals in this community that they matter," Bethel said. "The long-term impact of these arrests are significant."
He also said that the community patrolled by the police department's 22nd District is one of the most violent areas of the city.
Yet, he noted, this year, the city has seen a decrease in gun violence.
"We are trending in a better direction," said Bethel. "But.. we aren't taking our foot off the gas."
As of Monday, according to Philadelphia Police Department statistics, the city has seen 109 homicides so far in 2024. That's a 38% drop over the same period last year.
In fact, if the trend continues, Krasner said that the city could be on track to end the year with half the total slayings that the city saw in 2021.
"Obviously, we all hope for that and better than that. We all hope there will be no homicides whatsoever," Krasner said. "But, there's a chance of that."
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