Gang-Related News Articles

Massachusetts
Two dead in night of mayhem in Hub (Dorchester and Mattapan, MA): Boston police are investigating three incidents that occurred within a 24-hour time span. The series of events started when a Hispanic male in his 20s was fatally stabbed. "Investigators believe that a struggle between the victim and persons congregating on the street ensued and the victim was stabbed several times," a Boston police officer said. Less than eight hours later, a 29-year-old man was fatally shot as he sat behind the wheel of his car at a traffic light in Mattapan. He was shot by a suspect who was on foot, according to police. Lastly, a man and a woman, ages 24 and 22, respectively, were arrested for assault with a deadly weapon when they shot from an idling car in front of a Dorchester home. No one was injured.
Source: Boston Herald    Date: August 25, 2003

Georgia
Culture of fear (Columbus, GA): According to local police and court records, children in Columbus are carrying more weapons such as firearms, knives, and converted household items. A review of Columbus Police Department and Columbus Juvenile Court cases from 1998 through mid-August 2003 shows juveniles with firearms have been apprehended in greater numbers each of the last two years, with this year's cases threatening to match or exceed those years' totals. With more than a third of 2003 remaining, Columbus police have already arrested 23 juveniles for firearms violations this year, compared to a total of 32 in 2002 and 25 in 2001. An officer from the Youth Services Division said many teenagers have felt more threatened, particularly with formation of youth gangs in many neighborhoods. "Because of that, kids feel the need to protect themselves, and the ultimate protection is the ability to take somebody else's life," the officer said.
Source: Ledger-Enquirer    Date: August 24, 2003

District of Columbia
DC schools gather experts for dialogue on gang activity (Washington, DC): After a summer of increased violence, DC public school and law enforcement officials recently met to discuss how to curtail gang activity during the coming school year. The goal of the effort by the public schools, the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, and DC police, along with police and school officials from Montgomery, Prince George's, Fairfax, and Prince William counties, is to identify gang or crew members across the region and to prevent recruitment of students into the groups.
Source: The Washington Post    Date: August 23, 2003

California
Judge OKs ban on activities by Oceanside gang (Oceanside, CA): Twenty male members of Oceanside's Center Street gang will be banned from gathering in public, wearing gang garb, blocking others on the street, and using "gang hand signs" in a one-square-mile area of Oceanside, a judge ruled. Each of the 20 defendants has been convicted of crimes ranging from drug offenses to robbery. Only one, who is 17, is a juvenile. The deputy district attorney contended that members of the Center Street gang have repeatedly committed crimes of violence against Oceanside residents, including robberies, beatings, stabbings, and shootings. Additionally, gang members continually trespass on private property to intimidate and harass residents, and have defaced public and private property.
Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune    Date: August 23, 2003

California
Murder charges filed (Lancaster, CA): A 36-year-old ex-convict faces a possible death sentence after being charged with murder in the slayings of two 27-year-old men who were shot to death in a possible gang-related car-to-car shooting. He faces two counts of murder and one count each of attempted murder, burglary, and evading police. The attempted-murder charge refers to a woman in the victim's car who was wounded in the shooting.
Source: The Daily News of Los Angeles    Date: August 23, 2003

New York
Elmira officers suspect gang involvement in stabbing (Elmira, NY): Elmira City police were seeking suspects that seriously wounded a 19-year old man. The victim was attacked by four or five men who entered his apartment through the back door and stabbed him several times, police said. Since the attackers were dressed in a similar fashion, police suspect the incident may be gang-related. Investigation is continuing.
Source: Star-Gazette    Date: August 23, 2003

Colorado
Armed, ruthless, and reckless (Denver, CO): Denver police are waging a street war against a small army of weapons dealers and drug addicts. The army is made up of 400 members of GKI, the most active and violent street gang in Denver. "This is an extremely dangerous gang. They aren't afraid of anyone," said an officer from the Denver gang unit. The Denver Police Chief formed a task force to stop the GKI after a 72-hour flurry of fatal shootings occurred. In June, a GKI gang member shot at officers who were trying to arrest him at a west Denver house. Police later searched the home and found a gun range and arsenal, including assault weapons, bulletproof vests, and pipe bombs. The GKI gang was started by members of a few families in one neighborhood, but over time, the gang has become less turf-based. They also began with drug sales, but now make most of their money in firearms trafficking.
Source: Rocky Mountain News    Date: August 23, 2003

South Carolina
Man injured in apparent drive-by shooting (Columbia, SC): A 19-year-old man was wounded in an apparent drive-by shooting in the Rosewood area. A car approached the man and three others while they were walking, and one of the passengers fired several shots at the group, striking the 19-year-old. No arrests have been made and investigation is continuing.
Source: The State    Date: August 23, 2003

California
Harsh sentence necessary part of gang reduction (Salinas, CA): A Monterey County judge recently sentenced a 17-year-old male to 180 years to life in prison for murdering three Salinas teenagers in September 2002 as they were listening to music in a parked car. The boy was convicted in June of three counts of first-degree murder with gang and gun enhancements. He was tried as an adult under Proposition 21, a law passed in 2000 which gives local prosecutors the authority to determine if a juvenile should be tried as an adult, particularly in gang-related cases.
Source: The Salinas Californian    Date: August 23, 2003

Illinois
Girl's death brings police crackdown (Chicago, IL): Chicago police launched a zero-tolerance crackdown on two street gangs involved in a shooting that killed a 7-year-old Pilsen girl. Three or four members of the Party People, a Latino gang from the Pilsen area, attempted to ambush a member of the Satan Disciples when a stray bullet struck the girl, police said. In response, police put into action Operation Just Cause for only the second time. The initiative is a crackdown on gangs whose members shoot children and targets gang members for even minor infractions.
Source: Chicago Tribune    Date: August 22, 2003

California
Shootings of two men might be gang-related (Fillmore, CA): Authorities are investigating a possible gang-related double shooting that left two men wounded and in the hospital. Details are not being released and no arrests have been made.
Source: Ventura County Star    Date: August 22, 2003

Illinois
Three guards charged in aiding inmates (Joliet, IL): An officer at Stateville Correctional Center smuggled a cell phone to a gang leader incarcerated for murder, allowing him and other inmates to have unmonitored conversations with outsiders for about six months, officials said. The same guard, a member of the Gangster Disciples, also smuggled heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, or marijuana to eight other inmates, many belonging to Chicago gangs, including factions of the Vice Lords, the Black P Stone Nation, and the Gangster Disciples. Two other Statesville correctional officers were also charged for their involvement with jailed gang members. One officer provided narcotics and sex to inmates, and the other arranged drug deals for a guard secretly cooperating with law enforcement.
Source: Chicago Tribune    Date: August 22, 2003

New York
Drive-by shooting (Staten Island, NY): Two men, ages 19 and 25, and a 21-year-old woman were wounded in a drive-by shooting outside a Port Richmond home, police said. The victims were hit when an unidentified gunman rolled up in a vehicle and opened fire. All victims were listed in stable condition. The shooter, whose motive was not known, fled.
Source: New York Post    Date: August 22, 2003

Washington
Man stabbed at torchlight parade (Seattle, WA): Police arrested and charged a 19-year-old man with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man outside a Seattle night club. The shooter had announced his gang affiliation and detectives put together a photo lineup of known members of that gang. Witnesses immediately picked the suspect from the lineup.
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer    Date: August 22, 2003

Connecticut
Man wounded in drive-by shooting (Hartford, CT): A 21-year-old man was shot in Hartford's North End when he was fired upon from a moving car, according to police. The man was in stable condition. A 23-year-old man was also shot and wounded a day before. Police have made no arrests and investigation is continuing.
Source: The Hartford Courant    Date: August 22, 2003

California
Man shot in leg while working on car in front of home (Salinas, CA): Salinas police are investigating a shooting that wounded a 24-year-old man. The man was working on his car outside a house when two males in a car drove by and fired several shots. Police are unsure if the shooting was gang-related.
Source: Monterey County Herald    Date: August 21, 2003

California
Seized firearms linked to slaying in Vista Park (Vista, CA): Police are investigating an apparent gang-related shooting that left a 25-year-old dead and three others wounded. Witnesses said up to 25 bullets were fired from several guns at Brengle Terrace Park's parking lot. About 1,200 people were in the park at the time, including about 300 who were near the shooting scene, city officials said. Police have seized two guns believed to be used in the shooting and report that they have some promising leads.
Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune    Date: August 21, 2003

Illinois
Gang leader is shot on the West Side (Chicago, IL): A 52-year-old man was shot multiple times and critically wounded, police said. The victim, who was once the leader for the Vice Lords gang but has since claimed he has reformed, was gunned down as he got out of his van. Police believe he never really abandoned his role as gang leader and said he was shot while meeting with gang members, possibly in a set-up. Three small foil packets of suspected drugs were found next to his body, police said. A friend, however, said the victim was there to walk his dogs in the park. No arrests have been made.
Source: Chicago Tribune    Date: August 21, 2003

North Carolina
Police probe drive-by shooting (Mayodan, NC): A Mayodan man standing in his front yard was shot during a drive-by shooting, police said. The victim was treated by paramedics on the scene. No arrests have been made.
Source: News & Record    Date: August 21, 2003

Oregon
Officers unite to curtail gang activity (Gresham, OR): In an effort to quell gang activity, authorities from Gresham and Portland recently cleared out 37 gang members who had gathered in Rockwood Central Park. Neighbors have complained about drinking, drug use, fights, vandalism, and other problems in the park. Eight members of the Portland Police Bureau's gang enforcement unit joined five Gresham gang officers in secretly videotaping gang members as they gathered, then took them into custody as they left. City parks employees documented the condition of park equipment beforehand, so gang members couldn't claim vandalism had been done previously. Workers also made sure that signs regarding parking and the park hours were in place, so offenders couldn't claim ignorance of city ordinances.
Source: The Oregonian    Date: August 21, 2003