In the winter of 2015, a violent turf war between two rival gangs in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, claimed the life of 19-year-old JaQuay Bennett. Known by the nickname 'Queezy,' Bennett was a member of the Bergen Family gang, which had been engaged in an ongoing and violent conflict with the Lincoln Family gang for control of their respective territories.
This feud was marked by a series of retaliatory shootings that plagued the neighborhood.
On the afternoon of January 8, 2015, Bennett was just steps from his home on St. Marks Avenue when he was fatally shot. He sustained two gunshot wounds to the torso and another to his leg and was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital. Investigators determined that his murder was a direct retaliation for a shooting that had occurred just three days earlier, in which a member of the Bergen Family had shot and injured a member of the Lincoln Family.
In the wake of Bennett's death, law enforcement intensified its efforts to quell the escalating gang violence in the area. These efforts culminated in August 2016, when the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office announced a 67-count indictment against 25 alleged members of both the Lincoln Family and Bergen Family gangs. The charges included conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, and weapons possession.
Among those indicted was Laquan Battle, a member of the Lincoln Family, who was identified as the individual who shot and killed JaQuay Bennett. The extensive investigation utilized eyewitness testimony, social media evidence, and forensic analysis to build a comprehensive case against the gang members. The indictment detailed numerous violent acts committed by both gangs, often planned and boasted about on social media, highlighting the dangerous and public nature of their conflict. The prosecution of these individuals underscored a significant effort by law enforcement to dismantle the gangs and bring a measure of justice for the violence that had impacted the community, including the death of JaQuay Bennett.
