Gang-Related News Articles

North Carolina
Nine indicted in gang-related shooting in Pitt County (Greenville, NC): Nine people have been indicted on murder and assault charges in connection with a gang-related shooting that left a 16-year-old dead and a 20-year-old wounded. The suspects are part of the Real Life gang and were involved in a dispute with the 20-year-old victim prior to the shooting, investigators said. The other victim was believed to have been an innocent bystander.
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire    Date: September 23, 2003
http://www.ap.org

Texas
Forth Worth gang crimes up (Fort Worth, TX): Gang-related crime in Fort Worth has almost doubled in the past year, an increase police attribute partly to the parole of violent gang members. The parolees appear to be strengthening bonds between Fort Worth gangs and prison gangs and increasing recruitment, the report states. The problem seems to be mostly in Fort Worth and not in any other areas that have had problems in the past in Tarrant County. Over $80,000 has been approved for gang intervention, which includes the hiring of three officers and one corporal. Furthermore, mid-level gangs are moving into illegal, drug-dealing arenas previously controlled by the higher gang levels, sparking gang-on-gang violence. Lower-level gangs are also becoming more violent with rival gangs. According to the report, there have been 102 gang-related violent crimes from October 2002 through August 2003 and 55 gang-related crimes during fiscal year 2001-2002.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: September 23, 2003
http://www.dfw.com/...

Texas
Possible gang shooting kills one (Killeen, TX): A 19-year-old man died and a 20-year-old man was wounded in what police believe was a gang-related shooting. According to police, the shooting occurred after a dispute involving several people. Investigation is continuing.
Source: Austin American-Statesman    Date: September 23, 2003
http://www.statesman.com

Wisconsin
Drive-by shooting kills one man (Milwaukee, WI): One man was killed and another was injured in an apparent drive-by shooting on the city's north side, police said. The two men were on a porch when shots were fired from a car with two men inside. One of the men leaned out a window and sprayed the porch with bullets, police said. No arrests have been made.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel    Date: September 23, 2003
http://www.jsonline.com/...

California
Gang stabbing (Burbank, CA): Two men, ages 18 and 21, were arrested in an apparent gang-related stabbing that wounded two boys, ages 14 and 16, a Burbank police sergeant said. The two victims were standing outside a residence when the two suspects picked them out of a group and stabbed them.
Source: City News Service    Date: September 23, 2003

California
Shooter wounds three girls in park (San Bernardino, CA): Three girls were injured when a gunman opened fire on them in a San Bernardino park, police said. The victims, ages 11, 13, and 18, were relaxing with three boys in the park when the suspect and his friend approached them. Before firing, the gunman reportedly said "Don't wear red in the park," according to an officer. The gunman's reference to the color red could be an indication of a gang-related motive.
Source: The Press-Enterprise     Date: September 23, 2003
http://www.pe.com

California
Gang members suspected in knife attack on two men (Hayward, CA): In Hayward, two men, ages 23 and 25, were assaulted by suspected gang members, police said. The 23-year-old victim suffered critical stab wounds and was in stable condition; the other victim was treated at a hospital and released. Witnesses told investigators that gang terms were shouted by the assailants at the victims during the attack. There is no evidence that the victims are gang members, according to police. Information on the suspects was given to police, and investigation is continuing.
Source: The Daily Review    Date: September 23, 2003
http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/...

California
San Diego shooting (San Diego, CA): In Mountain View, a 19-year-old man was grazed by a bullet during what may have been a gang-related shooting, police said. The shooting took place after a fight over a "road rage incident," according to police. The gunman fired six or seven shots wounding the victim, but he was not hospitalized. Both men knew each other and had violent contacts in the past over gang recruitment, an officer said. No arrests have been made.
Source: City News Service    Date: September 23, 2003

California
Gang homicide (Santa Ana, CA): An 18-year-old male was killed in a gang-related stabbing in the courtyard of a Santa Ana apartment building, police said. It was unclear what led police to believe the stabbing was gang related. No other information was available.
Source: City News Service    Date: September 22, 2003

Wisconsin
Metcalfe Park gains anti-gang grant (Milwaukee, WI): Metcalfe Park and neighboring communities will receive $2.5 million as part of a new national project aimed at combating gang violence and other criminal behavior among youths. Milwaukee joins Los Angeles, Miami, and Richmond, Virginia, as the pilot cities for the federal initiative, called the Gang and Neighborhood Violence Project. The Governor of the state said, "This funding will support a partnership between federal, state, and local leaders to combat youth gang violence. It will empower local citizens to work together to make their neighborhoods safer." The project, which will last three years, will target the area's hard-to-reach youths. However, instead of the federal money going to social service agencies that serve youth, the money will aid individual families directly, in order to impact some of the conditions that factored into the youths' violent behavior in the first place. Milwaukee became a target for the project after a boy was beaten to death last fall by several people, mostly boys.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel    Date: September 22, 2003
http://www.jsonline.com/...

Wisconsin
Man charged in two fatal shootings (Milwaukee, WI): A 23-year-old man was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in two fatal shootings. A 22-year-old man was also charged with felony murder in the second shooting. The motive for both shootings involved robbery and drug trafficking. Both suspects are alleged members of the Latin Kings street gang.
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire    Date: September 22, 2003
http://www.ap.org

Indiana
One dead, two injured in weekend shootings (Fort Wayne, IN): Police are investigating three unrelated shooting deaths that left one teen dead and another two men wounded. The first shooting was apparently a drive-by attack that killed a 15- or 16-year-old boy. The second and third shooting left a 44-year-old man in critical condition and a 25-year-old man wounded. Police have no motives for any of the shootings and no arrests have been made.
Source: The News-Sentinel    Date: September 22, 2003
http://www.fortwayne.com/...

New Mexico
Three teens held in slaying near Placitas (Placitas, NM): Three teenagers, a 14-year-old and two 16-year-olds, who are tied to the Southside Locos street gang, robbed and killed a man who authorities think was their drug supplier, a Sandoval County sheriff's official said. Each teen faces an open count of murder and robbery charges in the slaying of the 47-year-old victim. The man was found dead in Placitas with multiple stab and gunshot wounds. Police believe that robbery was the motive.
Source: Albuquerque Journal    Date: September 22, 2003
http://www.abqjournal.com

New York
Drive-by shooting wounds teenager (Rochester, NY): A 17-year-old male was shot in a drive-by shooting in Rochester, police said. Up to three suspects are being sought by police. No motive has been determined.
Source: Democrat and Chronicle    Date: September 22, 2003
http://www.democratandchronicle.com

New York
Man critically injured in shooting (Poughkeepsie, NY): In Poughkeepsie, a man in his 30s suffered life-threatening injuries after being shot while standing in front of a restaurant, police said. The gunman is still at large, and police do not know whether the shooting was gang related or not.
Source: Poughkeepsie Journal    Date: September 22, 2003
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com

Illinois
Two men slain in weekend violence (Chicago, IL): Two unrelated murders in which a 26-year-old man was fatally shot and a man in his 30s was stabbed to death are being investigated by Chicago police. The shooting victim was found dead in the Irving Park neighborhood, and the other man was found dead in a hallway of Chicago Housing Authority's Cabrini-Green complex. In a separate incident, a 19-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder in the possible gang-related shooting death of a 17-year-old boy.
Source: Chicago Tribune    Date: September 21, 2003
http://www.chicagotribune.com

Georgia
Josey cross-country runners report threats (Augusta, GA): Authorities are investigating a report that students from Josey High School's cross-country team were threatened by men who had guns in their cars. According to reports, the team members were running near an intersection when they were approached by several men driving three or four cars. When the cars stopped, 10 to 15 men exited the vehicles, and two of them pointed guns at the teens. After a brief argument, the men returned to their cars, and one of the vehicles brushed up against one of the boys, slightly wounding him. Witnesses said the conflict is between two gangs called the South Side Posse and The Sunset.
Source: The Augusta Chronicle    Date: September 21, 2003
http://www.augustachronicle.com

Illinois
Safety net will be cast at Crane (Chicago, IL): Chicago public schools are implementing a "safe passage" program to protect students traveling to and from school. The recent death of a 15-year-old teen, who police believe gang members mistook for a member of a rival gang, has prompted school officials to recruit 100 volunteers to stand on street corners around Crane High School for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon.
Source: Chicago Tribune    Date: September 20, 2003
http://www.chicagotribune.com

Massachusetts
Gang reportedly promoting unsafe sex (Worcester, MA): Two Worcester girls have been pressured into having unprotected sex with HIV-infected gang members as part of their initiation, executive director of the South Worcester Neighborhood Center said. He also went on to say that gangs in Worcester's Green Island and Main South neighborhoods have recently stepped up their recruitment efforts in an attempt to expand their turf. It was not confirmed if the girls had gone through with the initiation. No information on the gang was available. In response, local agencies are planning strategies to help inform people on the dangers of gangs and HIV.
Source: Telegram and Gazette    Date: September 20, 2003
http://www.telegram.com/...

Illinois
Gang member is charged in stepfather's killing (Aurora, IL): A 23-year-old man has been charged with recruiting a pair of teenagers to kill his stepfather during a staged home invasion in Aurora, west of Chicago. Police originally thought the stepfather died from a shooting during a home burglary but later found that the shooting was orchestrated by his 23-year-old stepson. The suspect and his younger brother were apparently upset about how the stepfather treated their late mother. The older brother recruited two 16-year-old boys to shoot his stepfather. All three are in the same street gang and charged with murder. A 17-year-old boy was also arrested for driving the two gunmen to the home.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch    Date: September 20, 2003
http://www.stltoday.com