A Waterbury man and leader of the 960 street gang will never walk free again after several drive-by shootings and the murder of gang rivals.
U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed Zaekwon McDaniel, a.k.a.“Gap” and “Yung Gap,” a life sentence in federal prison for his role in the killing of rival gang members and the attempted murder of innocent residents of Waterbury. A jury found McDaniel guilty and convicted him of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Starting on Oct. 31, 2017, the 27-year-old McDaniel and other members of the 960 street gang terrorized the area of Porter Street and Bank Street after shooting and injuring an individual, who was a member of a rival gang, during a drive-by. At the scene, authorities retrieved 17 shell casings from four different weapons and later found the getaway car with McDaniel’s DNA on the steering wheel.
Then, on Nov. 22, 2017, the defendant, with two other 960 gang members, Malik Bayon and Tahjay Love, shot at Clarence Lewis and Antonio Santos, who sat in a car outside a restaurant in Waterbury. As a result, Lewis and Santos fled the scene at high speed and crashed into a house along the intersection of Wolcott Street and Dallas Avenue. The 22-year-old Lewis and 20 the 20-year-old Santos were declared dead at the scene of the accident.
A month later, McDaniel shot and injured the father of a rival gang member as he took out the trash in front of his home. During the investigation, authorities found a video of the defendant with other 960 gang members putting on their masks before the shooting ensued.
According to FOX 61, 960 gang members, including McDaniel, made promotional rap videos that glorified drug dealing, firearm possession, and gang violence. Meanwhile, most of the rap lyrics told a story about the criminal activities of 960 gang members.
Bayon and Love have also been found guilty of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity with special circumstances, murder in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (“VCAR”) statute, and two counts of causing death through the use of a firearm and in relation to a crime of violence. Both men are still awaiting sentencing.
Dooley sentenced McDaniel to an additional mandatory 10-year consecutive term of imprisonment for offenses related to his leadership of the violent 960 street gang.
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