Alleged gang member from Queens charged in deadly shooting at Valley Stream 'foam party,' police say
Kyle Matthews, 21, of Far Rockaway, Queens, is led out of Nassau police headquarters in Mineola on Thursday.
An alleged gang member with four arrests in the past 21 months, including two for possession of a loaded firearm, was charged Thursday with the fatal shooting of a Brooklyn man at an "illegal party" last month in Valley Stream, Nassau police said.
Police said Kyle Matthews, 21, of Far Rockaway, an alleged member of the Bloods street gang, walked up to a "foam party," with more than 50 people in attendance on Aug. 21 at an event space on Ocean Avenue, and opened fire. He killed DeAndre Carter, 20, and injured four others, police said, including a 12-year-old boy. The surviving victims are recovering, according to police.
Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said the party was hosted by associates of the rival Crips gang but that none of the victims had any known gang affiliation.
"Our victim has no listed membership, but he's at a Crips party," Fitzpatrick, the head of the homicide division, said at a news conference Thursday in Mineola. "So the perception is that he's a Crip for being there."
Authorities, Fitzpatrick said, are still looking for a second shooter. He did not elaborate further.
Matthews was arrested Thursday in Far Rockaway by the NYPD and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
As he was being walked out of police headquarters in Mineola, Matthews denied committing the shooting.
“I didn’t do" it, he told reporters nearby while shouting an expletive.
Matthews was arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead, where Judge Michael Montesano held him without bail.
Stuart Austin, Matthews' Mineola-based defense attorney, said his client "denies the allegations," declining to comment further.
Outside court Thursday, Carter's family declined to talk to reporters.
Police said Matthews opened fire eight times on individuals standing outside of an end-of-summer party at Dopie's World on Ocean Avenue. He then fled on foot, police said.
Carter was shot in the chest and killed. A 12-year-old boy was shot through the shoulder while standing in a doorway and two 17-year-old boys from Elmont also were shot, one in the knee and the other in the back of the leg, police said. A 17-year-old girl also sustained a minor hand injury, authorities said.
Camille Russell, a Westbury attorney for Deborah Young, who owns the Valley Stream venue, said her client had "no knowledge" of any gang affiliation at the party.
The party was illegally serving alcohol and possibly liquid marijuana, police have said.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Matthews was first arrested on Dec. 8, 2021 for possession of a loaded firearm. He was released on his own recognizance and later sentenced to three years probation.
On Aug. 26, 2022, Matthews was charged with unlawful fleeing from police and reckless driving and sentenced to 75 hours of community service and a $300 fine, Ryder said.
On Dec. 7, 2022, Matthews was arrested for possession of a loaded handgun and released on $50,000 bail while still on probation for the original firearms charge.
And on Friday in Queens, Matthews fled from the NYPD and was charged with reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and reckless driving, and again was released on his own recognizance.
Two of Matthews' previous arrests were in New York City and two were in Nassau.
"This individual should have been in jail," Ryder said. "This senseless murder would not have happened."
Matthews is due back in court Monday on the murder charge.
An alleged gang member with four arrests in the past 21 months, including two for possession of a loaded firearm, was charged Thursday with the fatal shooting of a Brooklyn man at an "illegal party" last month in Valley Stream, Nassau police said.
Police said Kyle Matthews, 21, of Far Rockaway, an alleged member of the Bloods street gang, walked up to a "foam party," with more than 50 people in attendance on Aug. 21 at an event space on Ocean Avenue, and opened fire. He killed DeAndre Carter, 20, and injured four others, police said, including a 12-year-old boy. The surviving victims are recovering, according to police.
Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said the party was hosted by associates of the rival Crips gang but that none of the victims had any known gang affiliation.
"Our victim has no listed membership, but he's at a Crips party," Fitzpatrick, the head of the homicide division, said at a news conference Thursday in Mineola. "So the perception is that he's a Crip for being there."
Authorities, Fitzpatrick said, are still looking for a second shooter. He did not elaborate further.
Matthews was arrested Thursday in Far Rockaway by the NYPD and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
As he was being walked out of police headquarters in Mineola, Matthews denied committing the shooting.
“I didn’t do" it, he told reporters nearby while shouting an expletive.
Matthews was arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead, where Judge Michael Montesano held him without bail.
Stuart Austin, Matthews' Mineola-based defense attorney, said his client "denies the allegations," declining to comment further.
Outside court Thursday, Carter's family declined to talk to reporters.
Police said Matthews opened fire eight times on individuals standing outside of an end-of-summer party at Dopie's World on Ocean Avenue. He then fled on foot, police said.
Carter was shot in the chest and killed. A 12-year-old boy was shot through the shoulder while standing in a doorway and two 17-year-old boys from Elmont also were shot, one in the knee and the other in the back of the leg, police said. A 17-year-old girl also sustained a minor hand injury, authorities said.
Camille Russell, a Westbury attorney for Deborah Young, who owns the Valley Stream venue, said her client had "no knowledge" of any gang affiliation at the party.
The party was illegally serving alcohol and possibly liquid marijuana, police have said.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Matthews was first arrested on Dec. 8, 2021 for possession of a loaded firearm. He was released on his own recognizance and later sentenced to three years probation.
On Aug. 26, 2022, Matthews was charged with unlawful fleeing from police and reckless driving and sentenced to 75 hours of community service and a $300 fine, Ryder said.
On Dec. 7, 2022, Matthews was arrested for possession of a loaded handgun and released on $50,000 bail while still on probation for the original firearms charge.
And on Friday in Queens, Matthews fled from the NYPD and was charged with reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and reckless driving, and again was released on his own recognizance.
Two of Matthews' previous arrests were in New York City and two were in Nassau.
"This individual should have been in jail," Ryder said. "This senseless murder would not have happened."
Matthews is due back in court Monday on the murder charge.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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