John Fernandez was 17 when his body was found in the early morning of December 7, 2017, on Bainbridge Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was discovered lying face down, dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask, with a fatal gunshot wound to his neck. Police were called about 5:20 a.m.; officers believe he may have been there for several hours. The night before, Fernandez — who was involved with the Gorilla Stone Apes, a subset of the Bloods — told his sister he had been shot at and left home saying he was going out to do a drill, a slang term for committing a crime.

Investigators say surveillance footage shows Fernandez walking with another individual who then shot him in the neck. Authorities concluded his murder resulted from internal gang discipline: Fernandez was a member of the Brick Squad and his killing was ordered by fellow members over claims he wasn’t generating enough money and suspected cooperation with law enforcement. The Brick Squad was implicated in broader criminal activity including drug trafficking and multiple shootings.

A large indictment followed in December 2019 charging ten alleged members of the Brick Squad; among those named were Stephan Khadu, Christopher Garcia, and Jahsuan Washington. Legal developments later led to convictions and substantial sentences for individuals tied to the killing. If anyone knew John, his movements that night, or has information about the Brick Squad’s activities, please come forward.