Three dozen alleged gang members from Brooklyn were indicted with various charges on Wednesday for crimes related to 36 shootings.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, announced that 36 alleged members of two rival street gangs known as WOOO and CHOO from Brownsville have been variously charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to possess weapons, and other related charges including murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment and weapons possession.
The indictments include charges related to 36 shootings that resulted in 11 victims, including one who died as a result of his injuries. One innocent bystander was struck while putting out the trash.
There are a total of 188 counts in the indictments against 36 defendants – 16 alleged WOOO members and 20 alleged CHOO members, prosecutors said.
On one side is the WOOO/780 alliance, based in the Seth Low Houses, Van Dyke Houses, Langston Hughes Houses, Noble Drew Ali Plaza and Brownsville Houses. WOOO is made up of numerous subsets, including the larger Gorilla Stone Bloods and Bloodhound Brim Bloods and small neighborhood crews including Young Risk Takers and Brothers Over Everything, and “780” which refers to a neighborhood crew that predominantly operates out of Noble Drew Ali Plaza.
On the other side of the rivalry is CHOO, based in the Tilden Houses, Howard Houses, Marcus Garvey Village, Newport Gardens and Riverdale Towers; similarly, CHOO is made up of a collection of gangs, including Folk Nation (also known as Gangster Disciples), Hoodstarz, and the smaller crews Trained to Floxk and Prepared for Anything. Some WOOO- and CHOO-controlled housing complexes are located on the same street.
The investigation revealed that the acts of violence were motivated by a rivalry between the two alliances of the Brownsville street gangs, the WOOO and the CHOO alliance. The alliances, which were not a single unified gang, but rather a network of distinct gangs or neighborhood crews that operate in alignment based on the shared objectives of establishing and maintaining geographic control and dominance over a shared territory, exacting revenge for violence against the alliance’s members and associates, and working to further enhance the status, prestige, and reputation of their particular group, prosecutors said.
While it is alleged that the two groups regularly exchange taunts over music videos and on social media, they also consistently travel to one another’s territory to inflict actual violence.
"These defendants were allegedly responsible for a remarkable amount of gunfire, with 36 shootings that terrorized Brownsville residents," Gonzalez said in a statement.
One fatal shooting by a WOOO defendant that took the life of a perceived rival, Tahriq Thompson, 34, and 17 shootings involving alleged WOOO defendants which resulted in four non-fatal victims and 13 shootings with no one injured, according to prosecutors.
Furthermore, the indictment variously charges CHOO defendants with 18 alleged shootings that included six non-fatal shootings with six victims, including one innocent bystander and 12 additional shootings in which no one was injured. Two CHOO members are also charged with gang assault in connection with the stomping of a perceived rival gang member in Downtown Brooklyn.
The acts of violence were captured on surveillance videos, which officials released.
“The indictments announced today are the culmination of a long-term investigation into some of the most violent criminals in New York City," Tisch said. "Their vicious campaign of retaliation and retribution — waged with absolutely no regard for human life — turned every slight into a shootout and terrorized these communities for years."
The homicide charged in the indictment took place on June 29, 2025, at approximately 2:56am, in front of 280 Riverdale Ave. It is alleged that WOOO defendant Jaden Grant and an unidentified accomplice walked to Riverdale Towers (CHOO territory). The unidentified accomplice allegedly fired multiple shots in the vicinity of 280 Riverdale Ave., then handed the gun to Grant, who allegedly fired several times before both fled the area. Tariq Thompson, 34, a perceived rival, was struck in the left shoulder. The bullet caused perforations to his lungs and aorta, and he later died.
Other significant incidents that are charged as part of the conspiracies include:
- On April 22, 2023, at approximately 2:48pm, CHOO defendant Bryan Ramos and two unidentified accomplices allegedly went to rival WOOO territory, the Van Dyke Houses, and approached a playground where children were playing and fired multiple rounds across the playground and fled the scene. No one was struck and children can be seen on surveillance videos scrambling to safety to avoid the bullets.
- On August 1, 2023, at approximately 3:51pm, WOOO defendant Deshawn Nimmons (who previously pleaded guilty and is not included in this indictment) walked with a group from Noble Drew Ali Plaza in WOOO territory to Champion Cutz, a barbershop located at 557 Chester St., where he spotted alleged CHOO rival Jeffrey Thomas inside the barbershop. Nimmons pulled a mask over his face, removed a gun from his sweatshirt and fired into the barbershop, according to surveillance videos. Seconds later, Thomas allegedly emerged from the barbershop and returned fire at the group. Instead, he struck a 69-year-old innocent bystander in the torso while he was putting out his trash. Nimmons fled the scene and three blocks from the barbershop allegedly shot a 22-year-old CHOO member in the right arm.
- On June 12, 2024, at approximately 3:30pm, video surveillance allegedly depicts CHOO members Marvellous Ehigiator, Nasir Wade and Tristan McFarlane (who previously pleaded guilty and is not included in this indictment) chasing after a 17-year-old alleged WOOO rival. They chased him into the vicinity of One Metrotech. Wade allegedly caught the victim, threw him to the ground and video surveillance depicts the three of them kicking the victim about his body and head, and Wade jumping with his full body and stomping on the victim’s head. The victim suffered a brain bruise, traumatic brain injury and right lower extremity weakness, and had to undergo extensive rehab to relearn how to use his right leg.
Gonzalez noted that shootings and homicides have significantly decreased in Brownsville since 2025.
"Our success in focusing on the drivers of crime such as those charged in this indictment, while also working with community groups on preventative efforts, led to record low gun violence in Brooklyn last year with major declines in Brownsville that continued into this year," he said.
