An alleged gunman faces life in prison for igniting a mass shooting at a Brownsville community gathering that left one dead and 11 injured in July, according to authorities.
Brownsville resident Kyle Williams, 20, was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on Monday, where prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment for turning a local get-together into a bloody face-off between rival groups, according to Brooklyn’s top prosecutor.
“A beloved community celebration held peacefully and joyously became chaotic and tragic when this defendant allegedly opened fire in the middle of a crowd,” said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a prepared statement.
The massacre erupted when Williams allegedly began fighting with 38-year-old Jason Pagan at the annual ‘Old Timers Day’ block party — where hundreds of community members gathered in the Brownsville Playground on Hegemony Avenue and Sackman Street on July 27, according to the authorities.
The defendant then allegedly drew a gun and executed Pagan with multiple gunshots to the head and torso, setting off a firefight amid the crowds — during which 11 innocent people were shot, according to Gonzalez’s office.
Police cuffed Williams on Oct. 16 after investigators received tips from locals, and multiple eyewitnesses identified him as the man who sparked the mass shooting.
The authorities are still looking for the second shooter, cops said after Williams’s arrest.
Cops also recovered the nine-millimeter handgun Williams allegedly used and obtained an admission from him, but a spokesman for Gonzalez’s office declined to disclose what crimes he confessed to.
Williams was ordered held without bail, and is set to return to court on Jan. 15, 2020, according to officials.
