SELF AVOWED BLOODS GANG MEMBER SENTENCED TO THIRTY YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR MANSLAUGHTER AND ASSAULT CHARGES

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that a 24 year old gang member has been sentenced to thirty years imprisonment for the fatal shooting of one man and the wounding of another following an argument in January 2000.

Jaysen Ventura, of 1480 Washington Avenue, the Bronx, was convicted last month of Manslaughter in the 1st degree in the death of 24 year old Ivan Torres and Assault in the 1st degree in the wounding of 31 year old Derrick Brooks.

State Supreme Court Justice David Stadtmauer sentenced Ventura, a predicate felony offender, to consecutive terms of twenty two years imprisonment on the manslaughter conviction and eight years imprisonment on the assault conviction.

The incident occurred during the evening of January 18, 2000 following an argument between Ventura and Brooks. The defendant went home and retrieved a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and went back to confront Brooks. Ventura pointed the gun at Brooks and pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire. The defendant admitted that he had to remove the safety before pointing the gun and firing at the two victims as they ran toward a stairwell. Torres was fatally wounded with 4 shots hitting him in the back. Brooks suffers permanent injuries from three shots striking him in the right leg and hip.

Ventura fled, evading the police for eleven days. Upon his arrest on January 29, 2000, Ventura, admitted that he shot the two victims but claimed self defense. The gun was recovered three months later, after ballistics tests successfully traced the gun to this crime.

Assistant District Attorneys Samuel Ramer and Dana Roth of the Major Case / Housing Task Force prosecuted this case.