Crime & Safety

MS-13 Gangmember Jailed For Queens Murder: DA

The victim was shot because he'd stopped being an active member of the notorious gang, the Queens DA said.

MS-13 graffiti, seen in Jackson Heights.
MS-13 graffiti, seen in Jackson Heights. (Photo: Greg Spock, used with permission)

FLUSHING, NY – A reputed MS-13 gangmember has been jailed for the murder a man outside a Flushing deli, acting Queens District Attorney John M. Ryan said Wednesday.

Jose “Smoker” Alvarenga, 29, of Hempstead, Long Island, shot Fernando Gonzalez-Chavez once in the chest outside the store at the corner of 162nd Street and Station Road. Gonzalez-Chavez suffered punctures to both lungs and died immediately, Ryan said.

He was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder.

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"The defendant showed no mercy to the victim and has shown no remorse for his actions," Ryan said.

The shooting happened around midnight on May 31, 2017, Ryan said. Gonzalez-Chavez was hunted by Alverenga because he'd stopped being an active MS-13 member, the DA said. He was found crouching behind a wall next to the deli.

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The shooter ran from the scene but was arrested two months later.

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