A Brooklyn man is facing life in prison after he was indicted for murder in the fatal shooting of an aspiring rapper on a Brookville dead-end street, and a St. Albans man was indicted for returning fire during a wild shootout in broad daylight in August.
Dariel Herrera, 30, of Hale Avenue in Cypress Hills, was arraigned on Dec. 12 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on an indictment charging him with murder, attempted murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and assault for gunning down 19-year-old rapper Tysheem McDonald of Springfield Gardens. Zandrae Ennis, 22, of 205th Street, was arraigned on Thursday, Dec. 8, before Justice Holder on an indictment charging him with attempted murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
According to the charges, at around 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, Herrera was behind the wheel of a BMW he had rented two days earlier when he encountered four men, including McDonald, near the intersection of 148th Avenue and 231st Street in Brookville. Herrera allegedly pointed a handgun and fired several shots at the men, striking two of them, including McDonald, who was struck in the chest and later died at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, according to the charges. A 24-year-old man was shot in the leg and was transported by private means to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated for the gunshot wound.
Ennis and another man drove away on 231st Street in a Honda, the charges state. Ennis pointed a pistol from inside the moving vehicle and fired several shots at Herrera but missed.
Herrera was arrested on Nov. 23, and Ennis was taken into custody during a routine traffic stop in the 105th Precinct on Dec. 6 after officers determined there was a warrant for his arrest in connection to the McDonald homicide investigation.
“The only way to describe this incident is to say it was as mindless and reckless as it was tragic,” Katz said. “These arrests and indictments send the message that law enforcement will not put up with this kind of dangerous lawlessness.”
Justice Holder ordered Herrera to return to court on Feb. 8. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life in prison.
Ennis was ordered to return to court on Feb. 8. If convicted, he faces 25 years in prison.
