Bronx rapper Kay Flock was among the eight alleged gang members indicted on federal racketeering charges Thursday, with the rapper also accused of murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy.
Kay Flock, born Kevin Perez, faces a mandatory life in prison sentence if convicted on all charges. Perez is already behind bars awaiting trial for state murder charges related to the Dec. 2021 shooting death of Hwascar “Oscar” Hernandez, the same victim listed in the federal indictment.
The indictment alleges that Perez and five other male defendants were members of “Sev Side,” or “DOA,” a street gang based in the Bronx. Three alleged members of an opposing Bronx street gang, dubbed “Third Side,” were also indicted.
“Over a span of several years, the members of these gangs allegedly terrorized neighborhoods in the Bronx and Manhattan by killing and shooting other people,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “Through these charges, we will hold Sev Side and Third Side members responsible for plaguing our communities with gun violence.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell added, “The deadly nexus of gangs and illegal guns in New York City is a grave threat to public safety in our city. Combatting this crisis is the NYPD’s top priority, and today’s indictments are another step toward ridding our streets of violence and fear.”
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In the case of the murder charge against Perez — who faces the most serious charges in the indictment — prosecutors stated that “on or about December 16, 2021… Perez knowingly murdered and aided and abetted the murder of Hwascar Hernandez in the vicinity of 151st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in [New York City]… Perez recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another person, and thereby caused the death of Hernandez, and aided and abetted the same.”
Kay Flock was an emerging drill rapper whose breakout hit “Shake It,” featuring Cardi B, was released in April 2022, four months after Perez was charged in the Dec. 2021 killing of Hernandez outside a Harlem barbershop.
