Four of the teenagers range in age from 14 to 17 and have been charged
with rape and other related counts. The fifth suspect, age 18, was taken
into custody around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Police identified four of the accused rapists as Denzel Murray, 14;
Shaquell Cooper and Ethan Phillip, both 15;17-year-old Onandi Brown and
Travis Beckford, 18.
The 18 year old victim and her 39 year old father, who were drinking
together in the park in the downtrodden Brownsville section of Brooklyn
on Thursday night, told police one of the teens forced him to flee at
gunpoint before they took turns raping her.
Two of the suspects told police the father and daughter were engaged in
sexual activity in the park, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at a
press conference. But he emphasized that officers had found no evidence
to support those statements.
Two of the minors allegedly told police they had consensual sex with the 18-year-old woman
While conflicting reports had surfaced regarding whether a gun was
involved, Boyce said the victim and her father gave matching accounts.
Video showing the suspects leaving the park a few minutes after the
reported incident supported the father's and victim's story, Boyce said.
Reuters/Daily Mail
Two of the minors allegedly told police they had consensual sex with the 18-year-old woman
 |
| Travis Beckford |
The fifth suspect was named Tuesday afternoon as 17-year-old Travis
Beckford. Classmates of the boy expressed shock at his arrest with one
telling the New York Daily News: 'Travis wouldn’t - trust me. 'It was
probably his friends. He was probably there, but he didn’t do it. Travis
is mad sweet.'
Police have not recovered a firearm and are awaiting DNA results from tests taken at the hospital.
"She gave a very credible report to us," he said, adding that she suffered cuts and bruises consistent with an attack. "She was traumatized."
Reuters/Daily Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment