Hempstead Village residents relieved by arrest in gang-related murder, want more done to keep kids safe
HEMPSTEAD VILLAGE, N.Y. -- It was a brazen crime -- a shooting and slashing of a teenager outside a fast food restaurant as children walked home from school.
Six months later, an arrest has been made in what police are saying is a case of gang-retaliation murder.
Residents in Hempstead Village are relieved and say they are willing to do more to make their community safer.
A memorial for a former student outside a McDonald's is a constant reminder for worried parent Allison Diaz.
"Having that shooting there, you don't feel safe," the Hempstead Village resident said.
Back on a September afternoon, eight shots rang out, killing Hector Valencia Gomez, who family and friends say was mistakenly targeted. Now, six months later, an arrest has been made.
"Our investigation led us to various individuals of MS-13, and particularly a Fulton clique. In that clique, we identified Gerson Hernandez," Nassau County Homicide Squad Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said.
READ MORE: Hempstead community calls for outside police help after deadly shooting at McDonald's near school
Hernandez denied responsibility, but police claim he and other MS-13 members fled to Maryland and Virginia and are also responsible for a murder inside a nearby park. Suspect Wilson Yanes is still on the loose.
Ryan Fogel is a student in Hempstead Village.
"Gang violence feels so disheartening to see because think about what we could be if we were a lot more safe," the 17-year-old said.
"We have laws that prohibit guns, and we don't believe they should be out here in the streets," grandfather Grover Matthews said.
Matthews wants the best for his grandchildren and others who recently performed at a Black history event CBS2 attended blocks from the scene of the shooting.
"If anyone is that brazen to do shooting in broad daylight where kids are, our community has to be outraged," Hempstead Village Mayor Waylyn Hobbs said.
The mayor says 2% of residents are responsible for crime in the village, but that community policing is making dents in the problem.
"From license plate readers to extensive video cameras and to some of the old-school methods, from DNA evidence, from reaching out to our community supporters," Hempstead Village Police Deputy Chief Derek Warner said.
Parents say their children deserve safe passage to and from school without threats and luring from gangs.