Crime

Folk nation leader charged with possession of ammunition in connection to March 22 shooting

July 12, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
Waddell, seen mounted on a motorized scooter with spits of muzzle flashes leaving the firearm as he opened fire on the block of East 21st Street between Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of the Eastern District of New York
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On July 12, Kwyme Waddell of Brooklyn, who is involved in the leadership of the No Love City (NLC) street gang, a subsidiary of the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples, was arrested and charged with felony possession of ammunition. The charge is in relation to a shooting committed on March 22, 2022, in which Waddell allegedly fired at least 11 rounds into a crowd on the block of East 21st Street between Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road in Flatbush right after 9:30 p.m.

Waddell had removed a silver firearm from his jacket while in the lobby of 2415 Newkirk Avenue and one minute later exited the building, mounting a motorized scooter and heading toward the block of East 21st Street between Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road. On the west side of the sidewalk, Waddell allegedly began to open fire while on the scooter across the street into a crowd of people standing on the corner of Dorchester Road and East 21st Street.

The Kings County District Attorney’s Office and the Eastern District of New York have brought a multitude of prosecutions against associates and members of Folk Nation Gangster Disciples.

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Waddell was captured on surveillance video driving to the location, which is known to be controlled by rival gangs to NLC. Also captured on additional surveillance footage was Waddell bragging to his friends about the shooting, allegedly pantomiming a gun. Law enforcement identified the clothes Waddell was wearing, and at the time of the arrest he was wearing the same shoes captured via surveillance.

The indictment lists that Waddell had knowingly acquired ammunition after he had been convicted as a felon: 9mm Luger caliber Federal ammunition, 9mm Luger caliber Blazer ammunition, 9mm Luger caliber Remington-Peters ammunition and 9mm Luger caliber American Ammunition Inc. ammunition.

Kwyme Waddell in the lobby of 2415 Dunkirk Avenue after the shooting, pantomiming a gun with his hands and bragging. Photo courtesy of the Eastern District of New York

According to the court, Waddell had been a leader in NLC since 2013 and long been a “driver” of gun violence in Brooklyn.

On September 27, 2013, Waddell was arrested for firearm possession. During the arrest, he asked his girlfriend to falsely claim the firearm was hers. On July 11, 2014, Waddell pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a firearm, remaining on bail. On January 23, 2015, while on bail, Waddell had attempted to shoot another person. Two days later on January 25, he was arrested for driving while impaired with a fake driver’s license and attempted to leave the scene of an accident. Waddell was not arrested for the January 23 shooting until April 13, 2015.

In January of 2016, Waddell was charged in Kings County Supreme Court with numerous crimes including conspiracies to commit murder and assault. In that charge, Waddell was allegedly found to have repeatedly engaged in criminal activity, including the engagement in multiple drive-by shootings and acts of violence, firearm trafficking and smuggling contraband (drugs, weapons) into Rikers Island Jail.

On May 1, 2017, Waddell resolved his pending cases by pleading guilty to conspiracy in the second degree with the intent to perform a Class A felony, assault in the first degree with the intent to cause serious injury with a weapon, attempted murder in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, possession of a forged instrument in the first degree and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second degree

On June 2, 2017, the defendant was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment for the assault, 8 years’ imprisonment for the attempted murder, 8 years’ imprisonment on his second firearm charge, 40 months to 10 years imprisonment on his murder conspiracy charge, one to three years’ imprisonment on his forged instrument charge, 90 days’ imprisonment on his aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle charge, one year’s imprisonment on his first firearms charge and a fine on his impaired driving charge. He was released to parole for a five-year term of supervision on October 20, 2021.

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, FBI New York Field Office and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner of the NYPD announced the charge and arrest.

“As alleged, the defendant brazenly fired eleven shots into a crowd of people. Thankfully no one was harmed,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.

“This Office will continue to work tirelessly with all of our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who engage in gun violence, eliminate gangs from our streets and cut off the flow of guns that allow them to victimize our communities.”

“Today’s indictment is another step forward in our ongoing work to rid New York City of violent gangs, illegal guns, and the havoc they cause in our community,” said NYPD Commissioner Sewell.


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