6 charged in slashings on Hofstra campus after charter school graduation, Nassau police say

Six people from Uniondale and Hempstead pleaded not guilty Thursday in Nassau District Court after being charged with attempted gang assault and other crimes in Wednesday's slashings on the Hofstra University campus after a charter school graduation. 

District Judge Ari Schulman set a range of bail for the six defendants, who were charged separately on identical charges, from $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond to $150,000 cash or $300,000 bond. Schulman set the lowest bail for defendant Devon Moore, who had no prior charges or convictions, and the highest bail was set for Isaiah Moore, who prosecutors alleged was seen on a video of the attack holding a weapon.

Assistant District Attorney Rivka Shuter said the attack, caught on video, followed a charter high school graduation in which six individuals "jumped and attacked the victim" in what appeared to have been acts of violence "planned in advance." 

Shuter said one victim's left leg had been "slashed," causing extensive bleeding. Another victim was wounded in the ear, she said.

Only one defendant, Isaiah Moore, was singled out as having allegedly held a weapon. Shuter told the court that he is seen in the video of the attack "holding what appears to be a sharp object just before the fight."

The ceremony was being held by the Academy Charter School, with campuses in Hempstead and Uniondale. It happened outside the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.

Nassau County police said in a news release that when officers arrived, they determined that the two men attacked had been involved in an altercation that escalated.

Attorney Karen Bobley, who represented Isaiah Moore and co-defendant Zachariah Fulton at the arraignment, questioned what the video actually showed. 

"It appears to be a blur," Bobley said when speaking of Moore. "It's difficult to see who is who." 

Schulman, who said he had not seen the video, said he was concerned about the seriousness of the charges and said, "Here is not the place to litigate the clarity of the video."  

The men were charged with felony attempted gang assault, felony assault in the second degree with the intent to cause physical injury with a weapon and misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon. 

Schulman set bail for Isaiah Moore, 19, of Uniondale, at $150,000 cash or $300,000 bond. Bail for Fulton, 19, of Hempstead, was set at $125,000 cash or $250,000 bond. Bail for Taiwan Jackson, 23, Unique Pruitt, 21, and Devon Fenner, 18, all of Hempstead, was set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. Schulman set bail for Devon Moore, 19, of Hempstead, at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. 

Attorney Joseph Megale, who represented Pruitt at arraignment, told the court his client had been at the ceremony to see his cousin graduate and although he knew some of the other defendants, he was not there with them and did not participate in any act of violence.

Attorney John Healy, who represented Fenner, told the court that his client denied any involvement in the attack and said the prosecution seemed to "cast a wide net" by charging all the defendants with the same crime, calling it an "overcharge." 

Devon Moore's attorney, Michel Nolan, questioned why all six defendants were charged with the same crimes. "We need to treat every person individually," he said.

Jackson's attorney said he was also just at the scene to see a family member graduate. 

Schulman said the charges were "quite disturbing and perplexing" given that the alleged incident was at a public event on a college campus where "many people" would be around. 

All of the defendants are due back in court Monday, except for Pruitt who is due back on Tuesday. 

More than a dozen individuals, some of whom were identified to the court as family members of defendants, attended the arraignment Thursday. Several of the individuals directed obscenities toward members of the media who approached them outside the courtroom, which drew court officers to the scene.