New York City police on Tuesday interviewed all five teenagers accused of raping an 18-year-old girl in a Brooklyn playground last week, officials said. Photo above is that of 14 year old Denzel Murray who for some reason has a smirk on his face while been charged to court.
Four of the teenagers range in age from 14 to 17 and have been charged with rape and other related counts. The fifth suspect, age 18, was taken into custody around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Police identified four of the accused rapists as Denzel Murray, 14; Shaquell Cooper and Ethan Phillip, both 15;17-year-old Onandi Brown and Travis Beckford, 18.
The 18 year old victim and her 39 year old father, who were drinking together in the park in the downtrodden Brownsville section of Brooklyn on Thursday night, told police one of the teens forced him to flee at gunpoint before they took turns raping her.
Two of the suspects told police the father and daughter were engaged in sexual activity in the park, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at a press conference. But he emphasized that officers had found no evidence to support those statements.
Two of the minors allegedly told police they had consensual sex with the 18-year-old woman
While conflicting reports had surfaced regarding whether a gun was involved, Boyce said the victim and her father gave matching accounts. Video showing the suspects leaving the park a few minutes after the reported incident supported the father's and victim's story, Boyce said.
The fifth suspect was named Tuesday afternoon as 17-year-old Travis Beckford. Classmates of the boy expressed shock at his arrest with one telling the New York Daily News: 'Travis wouldn’t - trust me. 'It was probably his friends. He was probably there, but he didn’t do it. Travis is mad sweet.'
Police have not recovered a firearm and are awaiting DNA results from tests taken at the hospital.
"She gave a very credible report to us," he said, adding that she suffered cuts and bruises consistent with an attack. "She was traumatized."
Reuters/Daily Mail
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