Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez has announced the sentencing of Ricardo Brown, a 25-year-old man affiliated with the Stain Gang, to a decade behind bars for his role in a shooting at the West Indian Day Parade in 2023. Brown confronted and shot a member of the rival 487 gang amidst a crowd celebrating cultural pride.
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, the convicted arrived armed at the scene, seeking violence, his group exchanging heated confrontation with their adversaries. Notably, his shots not only struck the intended target but also endangered others, including a passing fire truck. “This case demonstrates the dangers our communities face from gang members who have no regard for human life and are willing to open fire amid a crowded parade. My office is determined to keep holding those who commit shootings fully responsible, as we have in this case. This uncompromising approach is part of the reason that Brooklyn experienced the safest year in terms of gun violence in 2024, with shootings and homicides continuing to decrease this year,” Gonzalez stated.
Caught between the crossfire of celebration and gang rivalry, the victim received immediate medical attention from first responders. Trial evidence revealed that after sustaining severe injuries, including fractured ribs and a lacerated liver, recovery became a difficult battle, endured from a hospital bed.
After the shooting, Brown tried to hide in the city, carelessly tossing the weapon in a spot where daycare children often played. Yet, the pistol was swiftly discovered by a witness, becoming a pivotal piece of evidence through ballistic analysis that matched the .380 caliber to casings found at the scene. The case was eventually brought to a close by prosecutors Matthew Barg and Shelby Mitchell of the District Attorney’s Orange Zone Trial Bureau, as detailed by the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
As reported during the preceding trial, the defendant was convicted of first-degree assault. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Johnson delivered Brown's sentencing, mandating not only prison time but also subsequent years of post-release supervision.
