NEWBURGH — An arrest has been made in connection with the 2019 homicide of an innocent bystander who was killed during a shooting on Liberty Street.
On September 21, 2019, at approximately 11:18 p.m., City of Newburgh police responded to reports of gunfire in the area of 372 Liberty St.
Officers located Amed Alberto Alvarado-Baquedano, the shooting victim, near 367 Liberty St.
Police said Alvarado-Baquedano was struck by a stray bullet while outside celebrating his recent birthday.
He later died from injuries sustained in the incident.
The City of Newburgh Detective Division, working alongside federal and local law enforcement partners, continued to investigate the case.
In 2023, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force led an operation called “Operation Bandemic,” which produced significant new leads in the investigation.
Detective Nedwetzky of the City of Newburgh, a member of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, collaborated with the FBI on those leads, which then resulted in a follow-up investigation known as “Operation Vandemic.”
Authorities focused on a highly organized gang called the Forbes List, a City of Middletown-based affiliate of the national Makk Ballas gang, which was involved in firearms and drug trafficking as well as shootings, robberies, and fraud.
On August 25, indictments were unsealed revealing the arrest of Kalif Cox, also known as “LG,” a member of the Makk Ballas gang, for the murder of Alvarado-Baquedano.
Assisting agencies included the New York City Police Department, the City of Middletown Police Department, the Town of New Windsor Police Department, New York State Police, the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, and other federal partners.
