‘Hoolies’ gangbangers convicted after NYC street war shootings including stray bullet killing of baby: DA
Four “Hoolies” gang members were convicted for a string of Brooklyn shootings – with two of the violent street thugs tied to the stray-bullet slaying of a baby, prosecutors said.
Dashawn Austin — who goes by the street names of Capo, Doo Doo and Hot Wheels — was found guilty of opening fire into the Raymond Bush Playground in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the night of July 12, 2020 and hit 22-month-old Davell Gardner, Jr. as the baby sat in a stroller, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said.
Austin was a passenger in Audi when he opened fire — with fellow gang member Akeem “Beans” Artis behind the wheel, according to prosecutors.
Three other bystanders were hit by stray bullets but survived the incident – which stemmed from the Hoolies’ war with the rival 900 gang.
Austin, Artis and fellow Hoolies Jayquan ““Bo” Lane and Travis “Loso” Scott were convicted of various charges Tuesday after a six-month trial before Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun after a 63-count indictment against 18 reputed gang members, the DA said.
Austin was convicted of second-degree murder, as well as three counts of second-degree attempted murder, the DA said.
Artis was convicted of first-degree manslaughter, as well as three counts of first-degree attempted assault, prosecutors said.
He was also convicted of second-degree attempted murder in connection to another shooting from June 24, 2020, the DA’s office said.
When Austin was first nabbed nearly a year after Davell’s senseless murder, the tot’s grandmother, Samantha Gardner, told The Post the bust was bittersweet because she had to relive that night.
“It brought me right back to the day when they pronounced [Davell] dead, and I just held him, just crying all over him, you know, and he couldn’t feel me, he couldn’t hear me, he couldn’t see me,” she said at the time.
“[The violence] needs to stop because too many people are getting hurt,” she added in a phone interview.
“You got innocent bystanders getting hurt by it. It needs to stop.”
Austin was also convicted in the March 3, 2020 deadly shooting of Janile Whitted of the rival “Pop Out Boys” gang, outside the Kinanm Lounge on Atlantic Avenue near Vanderbilt Avenue.
Joined by Lane, Austin followed Whitted when he left the lounge – pumping several bullets into his chest at close range, killing him, prosecutors said.
Both Austin and Lane were convicted of second-degree murder in that shooting death, according to the DA’s office.
Scott was also convicted of second-degree murder for the Dec. 4, 2018 fatal shooting of Tyree Walker, 35 – who did not have a rival gang affiliation – as he walked towards his home on Myrtle Avenue, prosecutors said.
Another man, 23, was shot and paralyzed in the same incident – landing Scott with an additional second-degree attempted murder conviction, according to the DA’s office.
Members of the Hoolies gang – mostly based in and around Bed-Stuy’s Roosevelt Housing Development – were retaliating against rival gangs and displaying their own strength, prosecutors said.
“Today’s verdict sends a clear message that Brooklyn’s streets will not be playgrounds for gang wars,” DA Eric Gonzalez said.
“The reckless bloodshed perpetrated by these individuals not only robbed the innocent Davell Gardner, Jr., of a future but has also left an indelible scar on our community.”
“These defendants will be held accountable for their horrific crimes, and my office stands unwavering in our fight against the scourge of gang violence in our neighborhoods,” he added.
“I commend the outstanding prosecutors in my office who tried this complex and lengthy case and thank the NYPD for their excellent work.”
Artis is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1 and the other suspects will learn their fate on May 8, prosecutors said.
