Walking on crutches, a fourth suspect and alleged MS-13 gang member, 16, who was nabbed in relation to what police said was a gang-related shooting on South Harbor Road and State Route 25 in Southold faced Judge Rudolph Bruer on Friday in justice court at an arraignment where he was held on $250,000 cash bail or $750,000 bond.
Represented by court-appointed defense attorney Eric Besso of Sayville, and speaking through an interpreter, Freddie Fernando Torres Campos pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault in the first degree, a felony.
Through an interpreter, Torres Campos told Bruer 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.
Besso asked Bruer to set a low bail, as Torres Campos had “little money”. The prosecution asked the judge for the full bail, due to the serious nature of the charges.
Torres Campos was held on the $250,000 cash bail.
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. Torres Campos, police said, is a member of the MS-13 street gang and was part of the group who attacked two men as they walked along Route 25 and South Harbor Road.
During the attack, Torres Campos was struck with a .22 calibre bullet fired by one of the other assailants, police said.
The arrest came one day after three suspects charged in a Tuesday shooting in Southold appeared before Judge Bruer at Southold Town justice court Tuesday. Bail for each was set at $250,000.
The three are also slated to appear back in Southold Town justice court Friday, police said. The case is also being presented to a grand jury in Riverhead on Friday, but the defendants are not expected to appear in court.
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 on 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.
Police said it appears that the incident stems from a dispute between some of the defendants and the victims that occurred at the Third Street Park in Greenport on Friday night — and it is believed that the victims are members of Mara-18 or 18th Street, a rival street gang.
The victims were spotted by the MS-13 members as they walked along the roadway on Route 25 and South Harbor Road where they both lived, police said. The MS-13 members then ambushed the victims, police said, and as many as five shots were fired from a .22 caliber handgun, with one of the victims attacked with a machete.
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.
Police did not release Vasquez’ mugshot, despite a request and have not yet released Torres Campos’ mugshot.
