Source: United States Department of Justice News
An indictment was unsealed today in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging Kwyme Waddell with being a felon in possession of ammunition. As alleged in court filings, the charge is related to a shooting Waddell committed in Brooklyn on March 22, 2022 in which the defendant shot into a crowd of people on the block of East 21st Street between Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road shortly after 9:30 p.m.
The defendant is one of the top leaders of the No Love City (NLC) subset of the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples, a violent street gang operating primarily in the area of Newkirk Avenue and Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn.
Waddell was arrested this morning in Brooklyn and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced the charge and arrest.
“As alleged, the defendant brazenly fired eleven shots into a crowd of people. Thankfully no one was harmed,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This Office will continue to work tirelessly with all of our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who engage in gun violence, eliminate gangs from our streets and cut off the flow of guns that allow them to victimize our communities.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the FBI/NYPD Metro Safe Streets Task Force, the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division, and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for their outstanding work and assistance in this investigation and prosecution.
“Today’s indictment is another step forward in our ongoing work to rid New York City of violent gangs, illegal guns, and the havoc they cause in our community,” said NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “Our focus remains on the people we serve, and we must ensure real consequences for anyone who puts New Yorkers at risk. To that end, I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the King’s County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI’s New York Field Office, and all the investigators for their work on this case and for their steadfast commitment to public safety.”
As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, the charge relates to a shooting committed in Brooklyn on March 22, 2022 in which the defendant shot into a crowd of people on the block of East 21st Street between Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road shortly after 9:30 p.m. As captured on surveillance video, Waddell drove to the location, fired at least eleven rounds at a crowd of people standing at the corner of Dorchester Road and East 21st Street, an area known as territory of NLC’s gang rivals. Immediately following the shooting, Waddell bragged about the shooting to friends while pantomiming a gun with his hands, as captured on additional surveillance footage.
The indictment is part of a coordinated effort to dismantle the Brooklyn sets of Folk Nation Gangster Disciples and their leadership by federal and state authorities, including the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, the Joint FBI-NYPD Safe Streets Task Force, and the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division. As part of the federal-state initiative, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office have brought numerous prosecutions against members and associates of Folk Nation Gangster Disciples, including 11 members and associates of the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples charged with multiple shootings and related firearms offenses in Brooklyn.
The charge in the indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. As part of the program, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and their local communities to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Sophia M. Suarez, Dana Rehnquist and Jonathan Siegel are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
KWYME WADDELL
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-305 (ENV)