“Our comprehensive strategy of prevention, collaboration and enforcement has led to a 45% decline in shootings in Manhattan during my tenure,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Today’s awards underscore our commitment to a vital part of that strategy: prevention. I am grateful for the dedicated organizations who have demonstrated their commitment to showing our young people that they matter and are worthy of a promising future free from gun violence. Our youth gun violence prevention initiative continues to foster collaboration within the community and keep our Manhattan streets safer.”

“These defendants allegedly committed months of reckless gun violence that terrorized their neighborhoods and communities. We have absolutely no tolerance for this pervasive, indiscriminate gun violence, which jeopardized the lives of many innocent bystanders. These indictments are necessary for public safety, but they alone are not enough. We will continue to work with our community partners and elected officials to make investments in youth who are at risk of gun violence so we can stop these patterns of violence before they occur. That dual strategy is how we have been able to significantly reduce shootings in Manhattan by 45% over the past three years, but there is still a lot more work to be done,” said District Attorney Bragg. 

“Anthony Lopez went to great lengths to seek retribution and bloodshed, and his fixation ultimately led to the death of a completely innocent man,” said District Attorney Bragg. “I hope the significant state prison term that Lopez will serve gives Mr. Weeks’s family a sense of justice and peace. Combatting gun violence continues to be my top priority, and we are laser-focused on shootings involving retribution and retaliation.”