BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A man accused of murdering an 18-year-old and shooting three other teens after a basketball tournament at Bed-Stuy’s Marcy Houses has been convicted, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office said Thursday.
Brandon Reese, 21, killed Mario Lopez after firing approximately nine shots during the gang-related incident on July 6, 2013, officials said.
Lopez was struck eight times and later pronounced dead at Woodhull Hospital. A 13-year-old suffered permanent partial paralysis of his face after a bullet entered his neck and exited his nose, and a second 13-year-old was shot in the knee. A 15-year-old also suffered minor injuries, according to the DA’s office.
The argument started after a gang member from the Stack Money Goons (SMG) group realized an individual from rival group Young Stackers had previously pulled a gun on him. The SMG member called Reese, his older brother, for backup, prosecutors said.
Reese gunned down the teens, who were allegedly affiliated with area gangs, at about 6:30 p.m. at 472 Marcy Ave., officials said.
He was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder and several other charges including second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment.
“He will now go to prison where he belongs and may spend the next 25 years thinking about how he ruined so many young lives unnecessarily, including his own,” Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said in a statement.
Reese will be sentenced later this month and faces 25 years to life in prison.
