13 teens, 3 adults charged in connection to over 20 shootings in Harlem

Thirteen teenagers and three adults are now being charged in connection with more than 20 shootings that took place in 2024 throughout Harlem.

The Manhattan district attorney's office announced the indictment Tuesday, citing the shootings were all tied to gang violence.

Violence between 2 gangs accounted for 50% of shootings

Twenty-one shootings throughout East and Central Harlem were all connected to violence between two rival gangs, according to the DA's office.

DA Alvin Bragg says 13 out of the 16 suspects charged are all under the age of 18.

"It is sobering for me to bring such charges, serious charges against defendants who are so young," he said.

The year-long investigation led to the discovery of 15 semi-automatic weapons used in the shootings, one of which led to the death of an 18-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man. They were shot near Lexington Avenue and East 128th Street back in March of 2024.

The DA's office says from March until September 2024, violence between the two local gangs accounted for 50% of the shooting incidents in the 23rd precinct.

"We have to get the small number of people who repeatedly commit dangerous crimes off our streets," Mayor Eric Adams said.  

Investigators say one of the gangs operated out of NYCHA's Lehman and AK Houses while the rival gang operated of NYCHA's Johnson Houses, adding that the defendants fired towards groups of people on the street and in NYCHA courtyards on multiple occasions.

"We allege the two gangs continually exchange gunfires, bullets flying everywhere, on crowded street corners, near innocent bystanders, at playgrounds," Bragg said.

The suspects now face multiple charges, including criminal possession of a weapon and attempted murder.