Philly DA says ‘Big Naddy Gang’ is no more after 3 members sentenced

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Three members of the Big Naddy Gang street group, known as BNG, are facing decades in prison after their convictions for multiple killings, including a woman who was mistakenly gunned down after a birthday party in the city’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood in 2021.

DA Larry Krasner said the convictions of Dante Sutton, Jamir Brunson Gans and Elijah Soto marks the end of the group.

“Those three individuals have received sentences that range from 30 to 60 years, to 40 to 80 years. They were young when they committed their crimes — 16, 17 and 18. But these crimes are horrific. They are atrocious,” Krasner said.

The fatal shooting of Chaundrah Jones happened Sept. 29, 2021, after the men mistakenly followed a vehicle transporting the three women and opened fire as they left the 7th Star Lounge following a birthday celebration, shooting 49 times. Jones was killed, and the two women with her were injured in the hail of bullets. The defendants realized the next day that they had attacked the wrong vehicle and people.

Investigators later determined that the trio were hired by Jahlil Williams, the leader of another street group, known as Omerta, to conduct the attack for $10,000.

Williams is now facing a federal indictment for racketeering, homicide and related charges.

Assistant DA Joe Lanuti spoke about another street killing at Monday’s press conference.

“All three of these individuals killed Jordan Murray on September 6th, 2021. This was at 22nd Street in Huntington. It was at the 33 bus stop. Murray was gunned down in the street,” Lanuti explained.

Medical examiners found at least nine gunshot wounds on his body. According to the evidence presented, the killing was the result of an argument over social media.

Krasner explained that the three men entered guilty pleas in the cases “because of overwhelming evidence.” He complimented both the police and his office for putting together a complete case with “emphasis on forensics and a deep-dive investigation, not just what was seen on the street,” at the time of the incident.

Krasner said now that the BNG no longer exists, residents in the neighborhoods where the crimes occurred can feel less nervous leaving their homes, and children can do their homework without shots ringing out.

The DA also spoke about how the killings in the city are down this year considerably, continuing a trend over the past few years.

“If you have 20 fewer homicides, 37 this year as compared to last year when there were 57 on this date, you have about two lives saved a week over that period of time,” Krasner said.

He added that his office and the police department are working with community-based organizations, schools, coaches, houses of faith and others to keep that homicide number “going in the right direction.”