On a busy Sunday afternoon in Queens, New York, a violent altercation that began on a 7 train tragically ended the life of 20-year-old Abel Mosso. The conflict, which started as an argument on the train, escalated and spilled onto the elevated platform of the 90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue station on February 3, 2019. Mosso, identified as a member of the 18th Street gang, was fatally shot multiple times in the face during the confrontation.
The shocking incident was captured on a bystander's cell phone, and the footage quickly went viral, showing the chaotic scene as passengers screamed and ran for cover.
The investigation into Mosso's death moved swiftly, aided by the widely circulated video and witness accounts. Within a day of the shooting, the New York Police Department arrested 26-year-old Ramiro Gutierrez, a known member of the rival MS-13 gang. Gutierrez was subsequently charged with murder, gang assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. The investigation did not stop with Gutierrez, as police sought other individuals involved in the assault.
Authorities later apprehended two more suspects, Victor Lopez and Tito Martinez-Alvarenga, who were also alleged to be members of the MS-13 gang. They faced charges of murder and gang assault, with prosecutors stating that all three men participated in the attack on Mosso before the fatal shots were fired. The killing was described by law enforcement as a targeted act of violence stemming from the ongoing feud between the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs. The case also brought to light a broader pattern of gang-related violence in the Queens area, leading to a larger crackdown on MS-13 activities. In a somber aftermath, Abel Mosso's brother, Misael Flores Mosso, was himself arrested for an alleged retaliatory shooting months later.
