The largest ever takedown of a single gang in Queens netted a trove of deadly weapons and led to dozens of arrests of members who participated in a violent turf war that terrorized neighborhoods for years, officials said Thursday.
In all, 32 reputed gang members were indicted on charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in connection with a four-year turf battle in Southeast Queens that often played out in broad daylight, near parks, public schools and residential areas.
“They terrorized rivals, and harmed innocent bystanders, to maintain and expand their geographic dominance,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. ’”Tragically, three people were murdered due to this gang’s indiscriminate violence. We will not relent in our work to dismantle gangs in this borough.”
The gang — the Bad-Co Ballout gang — was responsible for at least 13 shootings dating back to 2021 -– including the three homicides, Katz said.
The gang was based in Queens Village, which members referred to as “Shadyville,” she said.
Photos of the accused gang members displayed during a press conference announcing the takedown at the Queens DA’s Office Thursday. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
The “Shadyville” title was a tribute to the gang’s reputed leader Jahvon Attapoku, 21, who goes by the nickname “Shady,” officials said.
Law enforcement sources said he stored and distributed loaded and operable firearms at his Queens Village home and directed gang members to wage war with rivals.
A shooting that took place outside a McDonald’s on May 20, 2024. (Queens DA’s Office)
Attapoku faces charges including conspiracy, attempted murder, possession of a weapon and reckless assault.
Among the shootings tied to the gang was the murder of Mark Greene, 18, on Nov. 2, 2022. According to the indictment, Attapoku and an associate, Jeff “Havoc” Joseph robbed Greene outside a high school in Kew Gardens Hills around 3 p.m.
Officials said Joseph shot and killed Greene during the robbery.
Guns allegedly belonging to gang members are pictured during a press conference announcing a major gang takedown at the Queens DA’s Office on Thursday. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
“For years, the members of these rival gangs terrorized communities in Queens, turning neighborhoods into their own deadly playgrounds and then bragging about it on social media,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “They wanted credit for the shootings they carried out, and today, we’re happy to give it to them.”