As the NYPD continues to battle a surge in gun crimes in the city, they got a major break that they hope will help: Two gang members were arrested and face hundreds of charges after police said they had an arsenal of guns, some of which were allegedly used in recent crimes.
More than 30 guns, including assault rifles and so-called "ghost guns," are now off the streets after being seized in the Bronx, officials announced on Thursday.
The guns varied in size, color (including gold and pink) and caliber, and were allegedly sold on the streets of the Bronx by two gang members, 29-year-old Derek "Chop" Velazquez and 26-year-old Eric Colvin. The pair were named in a 242-count indictment.
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An undercover officer bought the guns between September 2021 and February 2022. In many of the cases when the undercover officer when to buy the guns from the alleged dealers, the weapons were loaded.
"Most time the undercover met with the defendants to purchase the guns, most of them were loaded, creating a very dangerous situation for that undercover," said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
Investigators linked two of the guns to shootings in the Bronx and Manhattan, and two are ghost guns — untraceable and put together with pieces purchased online.
"The defendants allegedly sold these deadly weapons many of them loaded on the streets of the Bronx, in broad daylight" said Clark.
The NYPD hopes to duplicate arrests such as Thursday's with the new neighborhood safety teams on the streets, looking to crack down on gun violence.
"If you traffic in these deadly weapons, you will be arrested and prosecuted," said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. "Every investigator and prosecutor working this case had one objective: to make the city safer. That is our job."
