What to Know
- Four alleged members of the Mount Vernon Goonies gang plead guilty for their role in the 2016 death of a 13-year-old girl killed after being shot in the head by a stray bullet, according to federal prosecutors.
- According to Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, David Hardy, Marquis Collier, Jermaine Hughley and Sincere Savoy pled guilty to participating in the murder of Shamoya McKenzie, a 13-year-old innocent bystander.
- On Dec. 31, 2016, the four men attempted to murder a rival gang member in broad daylight. The rival gang member suffered gunshot wounds but survived. One of the bullets, however, missed the intended target and struck in the head and killed 13-year-old Shamoya McKenzie, who was in the front passenger seat of a car that happened to be driving by the location.
Four alleged members of the Mount Vernon Goonies gang pleaded guilty for their roles in the 2016 death of a 13-year-old girl who was shot in the head by a stray bullet, according to federal prosecutors.
According to Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, David Hardy, Marquis Collier, Jermaine Hughley and Sincere Savoy pled guilty to participating in the murder of Shamoya McKenzie, a 13-year-old innocent bystander.
According to prosecutors, Hardy, 25, pled guilty to one count of using a firearm in connection with the murder of McKenzie in aid of racketeering and one count of using a firearm in connection with an assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering for committing a separate shooting in furtherance of the Goonies. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Collier, 28, and Hughly, 27, pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of discharging a firearm in connection with the McKenzie's murder in aid of racketeering. They face a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Savoy, 23, pled guilty to one count of using a firearm in connection with the murder of McKenzie in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
According to the indictment and other court documents, between 2007 and 2017, the men were members of a racketeering enterprise known as the “Goonies.”
News
"In order to fund the enterprise, protect and expand its interests, and promote its standing, members and associates of the Goonies committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, and robbery; they conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute narcotics; and they obtained, possessed, and used firearms, including by brandishing and firing them," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Southern New York.
The Goonies have allegedly been engaged in a long-standing, violent feud with several rival Mount Vernon street gangs. On Dec. 31, 2016, the four men attempted to murder a rival gang member in broad daylight by firing multiple shots at him in the vicinity of Tecumseh Avenue and Third Street in Mount Vernon, New York, according to the prosecutor's office, citing court documents.
The rival gang member suffered gunshot wounds but survived. One of the bullets, however, missed the intended target and struck in the head and killed 13-year-old Shamoya McKenzie, who was in the front passenger seat of a car that happened to be driving by the location, according to the court docutments.
“On Dec. 31, 2016, David Hardy, Marquis Collier, Jermaine Hughley, and Sincere Savoy shot at a rival gang member, injuring him and killing 13-year-old Shamoya McKenzie, cutting short her young and promising life. Now all four of them face significant time in prison for their participation in senseless gun violence," Strauss said in a statement.
