A newly promoted Mount Vernon detective was arrested and charged in a Suffolk County gang indictment after prosecutors say he supplied illegal firearms to a violent criminal network tied to murders, robberies, and multiple shootings.

A Westchester County law enforcement officer now faces federal and state scrutiny after prosecutors accused him of acting as a conduit for guns that fueled violent crimes on Long Island. The allegations touch on a range of offenses and involve a larger case against an organized crew prosecutors describe as the 48 Gang.

The defendant, identified as 34-year-old Kyren Braunskill, was arrested on March 26, 2026 and appears in a 57-count indictment that names 18 defendants in total. Authorities say the weapons linked to Braunskill were tied to murders, armed robberies, and shootings across Suffolk County, prompting a coordinated criminal investigation.

Prosecutors contend the timeline is particularly striking because many of the alleged transactions happened before Braunskill was hired as a sworn officer. Court papers and charging documents lay out interactions with known gang members in Riverhead and elsewhere, and the indictment traces exchanges spanning 2021 and 2022.

A newly promoted Westchester detective with a shocking past was busted for allegedly funneling guns to notorious Long Island gangbangers tied to a string of murders and armed robberies.

Kyren Braunskill, 34, was hauled into custody in Mount Vernon Thursday morning after being named in an 18-person indictment that charged him with peddling weapons to alleged members and associates of the “48 Gang” in Riverhead, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

The guns were used in both fatal and non-fatal shootings, prosecutors said.

The cop, who joined the Mount Vernon Police Department in 2022, is also accused of plotting gun buys with indicted thug Nickomas Allen and a member of another syndicate in March 2021. The following year he repeatedly offered to sell multiple firearms to senior “48 Gang” operative Jayvonte Nash, court papers said.

Braunskill’s last offer to Nash came on Dec. 25, 2022 – three days before he was hired by Mount Vernon police and just over a week before he attended the Westchester Police Academy, the outlet reported.

Prosecutors said the vicious Suffolk criminal organization – of which 17 members are also charged in the indictment – is linked to two murders, eight armed robberies, five shootings and the possession of 13 illegal firearms.

What makes the case notable is how close the alleged conduct sits to Braunskill’s formal law enforcement start date; he was sworn in as a detective roughly one week before authorities brought him into custody. That proximity has added public interest and raised questions about vetting and background checks.

Prosecutors say Braunskill’s alleged activity stretches back to when he worked as an NYPD 911 operator, and they tie specific firearm sales to senior members of the 48 Gang in 2021 and 2022. The indictment includes alleged offers and planned transactions with named operatives, and prosecutors point to recorded communications and other investigative leads.

Beyond the gun-related allegations, Braunskill faces additional counts including solicitation to commit a shooting in Southampton in 2022, possession of a forged check, and attempted grand larceny. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney emphasized timing when he noted that “the alleged conduct in the indictment precedes his appointment as an officer,” according to news reports.

In the sweeping case against the broader criminal group, the charges are extensive: authorities list eight armed robberies, seven shootings — including two murders — and possession of 13 illegal weapons among the counts. Those numbers form the core of the prosecution’s portrait of an organized and violent enterprise operating across county lines.

The two murder indictments cited by prosecutors involve the deaths of 47-year-old James Ayers in 2023 and 18-year-old Marcel Arrington in 2021, and the racketeering-style charges connect those killings to a string of armed robberies at convenience stores. “We not only charge the shooters, but we charge those who order the violence, those who fund the violence, those who acquire the weapons,” Tierney said.

Investigators allege the indictment names 17 additional members and associates of the 48 Gang, and prosecutors argue the case seeks to hold accountable not just the triggermen but the entire apparatus that supplied and financed the violence. Court filings point to coordinated activity, alleged conspiracies to traffic weapons, and multiple violent incidents linked to the group.

Braunskill has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently on supervised release with GPS monitoring as his case moves through the courts. The proceedings will hinge on the evidence prosecutors present, including communications, transaction records, and witness testimony that prosecutors say tie the weapons to the defendants named in the indictment.