Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the indictment of 18 alleged members and associates of the Riverhead‑based '48 Gang' following a multi‑year investigation involving local, county, and federal law enforcement.

Prosecutors say the group is responsible for two murders, five shootings, eight armed robberies, and the possession of 13 illegal firearms tied to violent crimes throughout Suffolk County.

According to investigators, the gang operated around several Riverhead neighborhoods and allegedly used illegal gun sales, robberies, narcotics distribution, and financial fraud to fund their activities.

The indictment links members to the 2021 murder of 18‑year‑old Marcel Arrington in Mastic Beach along with the 2023 fatal shooting of James Ayers on Main Street in Riverhead. They were also linked with a 2021 shooting into an occupied Aquebogue home, gunfire aimed at rival gang members in Bellport in 2022, and several armed robberies, including two 7‑Eleven holdups in 2023 and a violent deli robbery in Flanders in 2024.

One defendant, Kyren Braunskill, currently a detective with the Mount Vernon Police Department, is accused of conspiring with gang members to traffic illegal firearms while working in law enforcement. The defendants face charges ranging from murder and attempted murder to robbery, conspiracy, weapons possession, and narcotics offenses.

Many are already in custody and are being arraigned in Suffolk County Court.