Brooklyn Gang Member Sentenced For Drive-By Shooting

BROOKLYN, NY — A Brooklyn gang member will spend 25 years to life in prison for his role in the fatal shooting of a gang rival almost eight years ago.

Tarell Herbert, 30, of Brooklyn, was sentenced Tuesday by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Heidi Cesare after being convicted of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon on Nov. 8, 2023, following a jury trial.

His co-defendant, Tristan Murray, 31, of Brooklyn, was sentenced by Cesare to 35 years to life in prison last June.

According to police, both Herbert and Murray opened fire into a car parked in Flatlands where the victim, Anthony Francis, 21, was sitting with his girlfriend. Francis managed to push his girlfriend out of the car before collapsing, shielding her from the gunfire.

“Anthony Francis was a beloved son, brother, nephew and cousin who was just 21 years old when he was shot and killed in a senseless act of gang violence. The lengthy sentences resulting from his murder underscore my commitment to protecting our communities from dangerous gang rivalries that harm too many young people,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

According to authorities, on the evening of Sept. 2, 2016, around 7 p.m., Francis and his girlfriend were sitting in his BMW after a date when Murray and his alleged accomplice approached the parked car and opened fire from the passenger side window.

According to prosecution testimony, Murray and Herbert were linked with the Folk Nation gang in Flatbush and were looking for rival gang members to shoot at the time of the incident.

Before approaching Francis' BMW, the duo recognized him as a member of the rival Canarsie-based Woo gang and called out "Woo," which is how Woo members greet one another, according to testimony.

Murray and Herbert then fired at least nine shots from long-caliber handguns into the vehicle, fatally striking Francis in the chest.

Investigating offices found multiple .40 caliber and .45 caliber shell casings at the scene and Francis’ BMW was riddled with .40 and .45 caliber bullets, Gonzalez said.

The crime was investigated by NYPD Detective Steven Yatchenya, the NYPD Brooklyn South Homicide Task Force, and a Detective Investigator from the District Attorney's Special Investigations Unit.