A second alleged gunman has been charged for the February killing of 13-year-old Troy Gill in Crown Heights.
Jared McCauley, a 21-year-old suspected member of the Woo gang, was arrested on Aug. 14 on charges of second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment. Two weeks earlier, his codefendant, 20-year-old Sheik Koureichi, was arrested on the same charges.
The pair are suspected of fatally shooting Gill on Feb. 29, as he was walking home from a basketball game at Barclays Center. According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, McCauley and Koureichi were on a “revenge spree” in retaliation for gang-related violence McCauley had suffered earlier that day.
They allegedly shot Gill in the arm and back in a drive-by shooting at around 10:30 p.m., per the DA’s office. Gill reportedly called his mother to tell her what had happened and attempted to walk the rest of the way home as she called 911 and ran out of their home to find him.
The teen collapsed a few blocks from his home and was taken to New York City Health+Hospitals/Kings County, where he was pronounced dead.
McCauley and Koureichi allegedly kept driving to East New York, where they shot at the front door of member of the rival Drench street gang. Earlier that day, authorities believe a member of the Drench street gang had lured McCauley to the Bronx, where he was forced into a car, beaten, and stripped in an incident that was recorded and posted online.
“This type of senseless retaliatory gang violence is claiming too many lives, including children, and my office, along with the NYPD, is focused on solving each one of those shootings and holding those who commit them responsible,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, in a statement. “I commend everyone who worked on this complicated investigation and hope today’s indictment will bring a small measure of relief to Troy’s loved ones.”
Police have previously said that Gill was a member of the Drench street game, a claim the teen’s family disputed.
Both defendants were ordered to be held without bail, and are expected to return to court on Aug. 16. Court records show that McCauley pleaded not guilty to all charges during his Aug. 14 arraignment.
