Fourteen alleged gang members are being "brought to justice," according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, who was alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Wednesday.
"Operation Baywatch" was a 3 1/2-year investigation that resulted in a 129-count indictment against members of multiple gangs in Brooklyn.
Gonzales says the murder of 17-year-old Devante Lewis was a leading spark of recent years of gun and gang violence in South Brooklyn, affiliated with The 59 Brims and Bloodhound Brim Street Gang.
The district attorney describing this historic takedown as "significant" because it targets "the shooters and those directly responsible to the violence."
While holding various weapons recovered in the operation, Gonzales also displayed the gun used to kill 25-year-old Jamel Nicholson - a known drill rapper in the area - and injure his 19-year-old girlfriend in 2022.
The investigation helped solve the homicide, in addition to 19 other homicides - four of which injured innocent bystanders.
A heavy look into the G-WAY gang took place as part of this investigation. Gonzales spoke on the "homebase" of the gang on West 25th Street in Coney Island, which is prime gang rivalry territory and often results in fear for those who live in the neighborhood.
The Gun Violence Suppression Division said that one of the hardest parts of the investigation was sifting through social media posts to find video evidence of the shootings that dated back to 2021.