Walking on crutches, a fourth suspect and alleged MS-13 gang member, 17, who was nabbed in relation to what police said was a gang-related shooting on South Harbor Road and State Route 25 in Southold last week, was indicted Tuesday before Judge William Condon at the Arthur J. Cromarty Criminal Court in Riverside.
Represented by Sayville-based attorney Eric Besso, Freddie Fernando Torres Campos, who turned 17 last week in custody, was charged with two counts of assault in the first degree, a felony, two counts of gang assault in the first degree, a felony, and two counts of assault in the second degree, a felony. He was held in lieu of $500,000 cash bail and $1 million bond and faces five to 25 years in jail, if convicted.
Assistant District Attorney Ryan Hunter painted a verbal picture of the violent attack, alleging that Torres Campos, one of five suspects — police are still searching for a fifth suspect in the case, who, according to sources, is known only by a street name — members of the MS-13 street gang, plotted the attack against a rival Greenport street gang, planning to “attack and kill them.” According to Hunter, the five were in a vehicle and found the victims near their homes in Southold.
Torres Campos, he said, brandished a machete in the attack, his two co-defendants had guns, Hunter said. The three “ambushed” the two victims, Hunter said, shooting one in the abdomen and one in the back and elbow, while two others were “lookouts”. The victim shot in the abdomen remains hospitalized, Hunter said, while the victim shot in the back has had bullets removed, with one bullet too close to the spine to remove. He may be paralyzed, Hunter said.
Torres Campos, Hunter said, was shot in the foot by a co-defendant and struck by a .22 calibre bullet.
Besso said his client, from El Salvador, pleaded not guilty. Torres Campos, he said, now lives with a cousin, has a girlfriend and works as a landscaper, with limited resources. He asked the judge for lower bail; the request was denied due to the violent nature of the crime and the fact that Torres Campos is not a citizen, Condon said.
“He’s a young boy who was misled by the others,” Besso said.
Hunter said he had a signed written confession from Torres Campos.
The other three defendants in the case are expected to be indicted at Suffolk County Criminal Court on Wednesday.
On Friday, through an interpreter, Torres Campos told Judge Rudolph Bruer at his arraignment in Southold Town justice court that he lived on Route 25 in Southold but is from El Salvador and is a “non-citizen”; he has lived in the area for a year and works seasonally for a landscaper, but could not remember the name of the company.
Police said Torres Campos was was taken into custody at Southampton Hospital where he was admitted on the day of the shooting for treatment of a gunshot wound to his left ankle.
The arrest came one day after three suspects charged in last Tuesday’s shooting in Southold appeared before Judge Bruer at Southold Town justice court Tuesday. Bail for each was set at $250,000.
On Tuesday, after two men were shot on South Harbor Road in Southold, police identified and arrested the first three suspects in connection with the crime — and said they are members of the MS-13 street gang.
According to Southold Town Police, Pedro Emilio Santamaria, 31, of Greenport, Jeremias Nathanael Recinos Torres, 19, of Aquebogue, and Walter Vasquez, 17, of Greenport, were arrested after the attack.
Attorney Lane Bubka, of Riverhead, representing Vasquez, said all had pleaded not guilty and said, despite claims to the contrary, there was “no reason to believe” the shootings and machete attack were gang related.
The judge ordered an order of protection for the two victims, whose names were not revealed. The victims remain hospitalized in Peconic Bay Medical Center.
The shootings occurred after midnight last Tuesday, police said. A responding officer spotted Santamaria and Recinos Torres in a parked vehicle a short distance from the scene of the shooting — and a loaded .22 calibre semi-automatic handgun was discovered in the vehicle, police said.
During the subsequent investigation, it was learned that Vasquez was also involved, police said; he was arrested at Greenport High School, where he is a student.
Santamaria and Recinos Torres were charged with assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, felonies; Vasquez was charged with assault in the first degree, a felony, police said, Additionally, it was learned that Vasquez and Recinos Torres are in the United States illegally and are currently in removal proceedings, police said; the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected.
In past years, the Third Street Park in Greenport was thought to be the site of possible gang activity. Years ago, Mayor David Kapell brought Curtis Sliwa of the Guardian Angels out to the park and Guardian Angels patrols into the village, to help deter gang activity.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
