Second Bronx gang member charged with 2015 murder

NEW YORK – Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Dermot Shea, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, and Raymond Donovan, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, announced the return of a superseding indictment charging Kyle Mullings, a/k/a “Kase,” with murder in aid of racketeering and murder through the use of a firearm in connection with the murder of Daquan Cooper on June 25, 2015, in the Bronx.  Mullings was already in federal custody on other charges.  On November 5, 2019, an indictment was unsealed charging co-defendant Jose Rodriguez, a/k/a “Hov,” a/k/a “Hov Goon,” in connection with the murder of Daquan Cooper.

Mullings will be presented at a later date.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As alleged in the indictment, Kyle Mullings and others were responsible for the murder of Daquan Cooper in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx in 2015.  We commend the extraordinary efforts of our law enforcement partners to bring Mullings to justice.”    

HSI Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said:  “HSI and our partners have demonstrated a tireless commitment to dismantling this gang’s complex criminal enterprise through multi-agency cooperation, resulting in these indictments.  This case highlights that, as alleged, Mullings and other violent perpetrators in our communities are well organized in their criminal pursuits.  However, law enforcement in New York continues to be successful in apprehending these pugnacious offenders allegedly responsible for numerous senseless deaths.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan said:  “Great police work and multi-agency cooperation has brought an alleged murderer to justice.  I applaud all of our partners for their steadfast diligence throughout this investigation.”   

According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:  

Mullings was a member or associate of a racketeering enterprise known as the Beach Avenue Crew, a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in, among other things, murder, attempted murder, and narcotics trafficking.   

On June 25, 2015, Mullings orchestrated the murder of Daquan Cooper and provided the firearms that others used to shoot and kill Cooper in the vicinity of 1595 Unionport Road in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx.               

Mullings, 26, from the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; and one count of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.  The statutory maximum and mandatory minimum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of a defendant would be determined by the Court.

Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the NYPD, HSI, and DEA.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Maurene Comey, Jacob Warren, and Andrew K. Chan are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.