Man indicted for 2005 murder outside Island Park bar

Jaime Rivera, 32, of Freeport, was indicted for the 2005 murder of C.W. Post student and basketball star Tafare Berryman at Island Park’s La Mansion bar and nightclub on Long Beach Road, according to documents unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Monday.

Rivera, a member of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation street gang, was also indicted for a related firearms charge. He was due to be arraigned later that day as the Herald went to press.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, there was an altercation at the club between gang members and another college student, which spilled outside to a parking lot across from the club.

As Berryman and a friend were exiting the bar, his friend was hit over the head with a bottle. The two drove away from the club, as Berryman then pulled over a few blocks down the street to tend to his friend’s wound, which was “bleeding profusely,” according to court documents. Rivera, mistakenly thinking the two were involved in the prior altercation, pulled alongside the car and allegedly shot Berryman.

“Gang violence has taken the lives of too many innocent young people with bright futures,” said United States Attorney Capers in a press release. “This case should serve as a message to all gang members. If you engage in violent gang activity, our law enforcement partners will not stop pursuing you until you are held accountable for your actions.”