15 February 2023 , 16:38
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A stray bullet has killed a mum-of-two sparking police to arrest 23 members of New York's “most dangerous” gang.
Guelia Vallinas, 37, was on her way back from shopping for her family in Queens, in the US city, in March 2021 when she was shot and killed.
The senseless death of the mum led police to launch a massive investigation and ultimately to the arrest of the 23 suspected criminals.
Describing the mum's death as “absolutely horrific", Queens District Attorney Deputy Chief Jason Savino said: “Miss Vallinas is our American dream, whose life was suddenly halted due to gang members recklessly firing bullets, with total disregard of anybody around them."
Vallinas, who worked as a cleaner, was walking home on March 21, 2021, when she was hit in the head by the stray bullet.
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Authorities at the time said it was part of an ongoing turf war between two gangs.
Queens District Attorney Office announce the arrests (Queens District Attorney Office)The gang feud started in 2018 and began when the two Crips gangs in Woodside and Astoria fell out over a drug deal.
Ever since the two groups have taunted eachother in rap videos and on social media. With the violence spilling out onto the streets eventually leading to Vallinas' death, authorities said.
Announcing the arrests, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said: “The reckless criminality we saw during this investigation is the kind of lawlessness that has killed law-abiding citizens of New York that have been caught in the crossfire of gang violence."
Of the 23 people charged, 18 of them are connected to the shooting.
Fifteen face counts of attempted murder and the rest were charged with other crimes.
Savino said the indictment targeted the “alphas” of the gangs, aged from 21 to 40.
Mug shots of the alleged gang members arrested (Queens DA)The Astoria Houses set of Crips is known as the “Rolling Crips” and rap under the name 'Hip Hop Boys'.
The Woodside gang members are known at the '8 Trey Crip' and rap as the 'True Cash Gettas', according to the DA’s Office.
Court documents detail one incident where one of the Woodside Crips, Michael Shepherd, 27, opened fire right next to an ice cream truck where a young girl was dancing.
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After the arrests, Salvino said: “Our beautiful Queens is just a bit safer with some of the most dangerous individuals in all of Queens now in custody."
A grab of the CCTV provided by the DA's office (Queens District Attorney Office)Mum Vallinas was killed just a short walk from the house she was raising her daughter, 9, and son, 10, the family has said.
“Her greatest joy was her family,” her father-in-law said after the murder.
Benaiah Reid and Dajuan Williams, both 19 at the time, were charged over Vallinas’ death but not named in the latest indictment.
Mayor Eric Adams said: “Gangs plus guns equal graves and our goal is to be proactive, and not just one gun at a time but to take down these dangerous individuals who are carrying around guns."