Gang-Related News Articles

Council approves funds to enlarge gang unit (Forth Worth, TX): Fort Worth City Council members unanimously approved spending $780,000 to more than double the police department's gang unit. The funds will add 20 positions to the current 13 officers, restoring cuts made after a 2002 study that recommended that the unit be reassigned to patrol. The current decision was prompted by a recent rise in gang crime, which was up 77 percent in 2003 over 2002. The police chief blamed the increase on a combination of factors including the steady release of gang members from state prisons, an increase in the number of teenagers, and popular culture's tendency to romanticize gang life.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: March 3, 2004

Southeast Dallas gang members sentenced (Dallas, TX): The U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, announced that five members of a violent, drug-dealing Southeast Dallas gang were sentenced in federal court by a Northern District of Texas U.S. District Judge. The defendants, ages 21 to 28, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from more than 12 years to 30 years. The five defendants were members of the UNC and PGC street gangs and had a long history of working together to sell drugs in Dallas. The street on which they sold drugs had developed into a place where a person could go, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to buy cocaine. The UNC and PGC street gangs maintained control of the street, with the use of firearms, for their own profit-making purpose.
Source: United States Department of Justice    Date: March 3, 2004

Suspects sought in shooting that killed one (Forth Worth, TX): Fort Worth police are searching for suspects involved in a drive-by gang shooting that left a man in his mid-30s dead and four others, ages 16 to 34, wounded. According to reports, young men and teenagers were parked on a street when they were fired on by occupants of another car. The wounded driver in the parked vehicle tried to back out of the lot and crashed through a business window as his assailants left their vehicle and continued firing, police said.
Source: The Dallas Morning News    Date: February 22, 2004

Rubbing out graffiti (El Paso, TX): Police say a tagging "war" among several crews is behind a rash of graffiti in the Lower Valley. As of January 28, 76 graffiti cases were reported to El Paso police, compared with 60 reported cases in all of January 2003. While the vandalism has been removed, investigation into the graffiti continues. Tagger groups, or "crews," try to outdo rivals by seeing who can vandalize more spots. These groups are less inclined toward violence than street gangs, who use graffiti to mark turf. Police have identified 84 active tagging crews in El Paso.
Source: El Paso Times    Date: February 3, 2004

Third man arrested in fatal shooting of woman, 18 (Fort Worth, TX): A third man was arrested in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old woman last month. The 21-year-old suspect and two others, ages 20 and 22, are accused of fatally shooting a woman as she, her boyfriend, and his cousin drove home from a club. "We don't have any other motive at this point other than the shooting being gang-related," said a homicide detective. Investigators believe that the 22-year-old fired the fatal shot. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, two of the suspects told someone they shot at the victim's truck after the occupants flashed gang signs at them. The first two suspects were arrested two weeks ago and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity/murder because they were acting together as gang members at the time of the slaying. Officials plan to file the same charges against the third suspect.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: January 30, 2004

Tyler-area man accused of contract killing (Tyler, TX): Police charged a 25-year-old man with the gang-related, contract killing of a Smith County man. Authorities believe he is also responsible for two other recent East Texas slayings, including a second murder-for-hire in Longview. The suspect was arrested on a traffic violation in Missouri, and officials there learned that he was wanted for a firearms violation in Tyler. County, state, and federal officials in Tyler had already identified the man as a suspect in one of the killings. A team of local and federal investigators sent to Missouri developed information linking the suspect to all three killings. The suspect's 19-year-old girlfriend has also been charged with murder in connection with one of the slayings. Officials believe that two of the murders were gang-related executions contracted by the same person, who remains at large. The suspect received drugs and money for carrying out the killings, which were aimed at silencing potential witnesses in crimes involving members of a Tyler-area drug gang. Authorities are trying to determine whether the suspect and others connected with the three slayings may be tied to other area homicides.
Source: The Dallas Morning News    Date: January 21, 2004

Man, teen injured in attack with baseball bats (Fort Worth, TX): A 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old teenager were seriously injured when they were attacked with baseball bats in what police say was likely a gang-related dispute. Witnesses said a car carrying at least three males stopped in front of a residence where several people had gathered, and gang signs were apparently flashed between the groups. The men in the car got out and attacked the two victims. Three suspects were arrested at gunpoint after officers stopped the car.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: January 15, 2004

Man, 18, killed in slaying described as gang-related (Fort Worth, TX): An 18-year-old man was killed outside a convenience store after he and a relative got into an altercation with three other men. Witnesses, who said the killing was gang-related, told police that the victim and a relative were involved in an argument that turned into a fight with three men. One of the men pulled a gun and shot the victim in the head. The suspects ran across the street and drove away in a vehicle. Police later arrested two men who are being questioned in the incident.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: January 15, 2004

Police raid nets six gang suspects (Fort Worth, TX): A raid in the area around Polytechnic High School that involved 30 officers resulted in the arrests of six suspected gang members. Five juveniles and one adult were taken into custody following several recent disputes between rival gangs at the high school. One fight led to gunfire off school grounds. Most of the suspects were wanted on warrants accusing them of assault or assault with a deadly weapon, with a secondary charge of engaging in organized crime, police said. The problems stem from a simmering feud between two rival gangs, an official said. Some of the students attend Polytechnic, but others attend other schools or are dropouts.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: December 19, 2003

Police say gang crime on the rise (Houston, TX): Local law enforcement officials are warning residents in The Woodlands and surrounding areas of an increase in gang activity. Oak Ridge North's police chief said his department's officers have noticed gang "signs" and an increased presence of gangs, particularly the Greenspoint Posse. The Greenspoint Posse sports green and gold colors and wear name-brand jeans that signify Crip Killer, in reference to the notorious Los Angeles-based street gang, the Crips. Most gang members are reported to be high-school age, but can be older. In addition to the Greenspoint Posse, hard-core groups such as the Crazy Brown Clique, the 503, the Mexican Mafia, Bloods, Crips, and Latin Kings all maintain a presence in the area, an official said.
Source: The Houston Chronicle    Date: December 18, 2003

Tragedy foiled in drive-by school shooting (San Antonio, TX): Police took five men and two women, all in their late teens, into custody minutes after a drive-by shooting in front of St. Francis Academy in San Antonio. No one was injured in the shooting. Police have determined that one teen fired the shots, and the rest were passengers in the car. Police said that the young men are known gang members to the police department, and the shooting was believed to be gang-related. Officials believe the targets were students, but it has not been determined if a boy who was shot at was an intended target.
Source: San Antonio Express-News    Date: December 6, 2003

More juvenile offenders being tried as adults (Texas): More juvenile offenders in Texas are being tried as adults because of a slight increase in major crimes and a scattering of highly publicized violent crimes involving young suspects. Texas Juvenile Probation Commission statistics show that statewide the number of juveniles certified to stand trial as adults increased from 141 in 2001 to 214 last year. A juvenile certified and convicted as an adult can face tougher sentences and be sent to a prison instead of a Texas Youth Commission facility. In Texas, a juvenile as young as 14 can be tried as an adult in a felony criminal case. In Fort Worth last year, a 16-year-old boy and three other gang members were charged in the stomping death of a homeless man outside the Ripley Arnold public housing complex over a $10 rock of crack cocaine, according to prosecutors. According to Texas Youth Commission statistics, an increase in gang crimes in the state pushed the number of certifications to 535 in 1995, one of the highest totals in recent years, but have decreased by 76 percent from 1996 to 2001. A drop in gang crimes and the use of determinate sentencing contributed to the reduction, prosecutors said. With determinate sentencing, which was enhanced in the late 1990s, a youth begins a sentence in a youth facility and completes it in an adult prison. The maximum sentence is 40 years.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: December 1, 2003

Police say attack may have been gang-related (Carrollton, TX): Two men were injured in a shooting that led to a standoff with police. Witnesses said they were returning to their home when a large group of people began throwing bottles at them, gunfire began, and two men, ages 19 and 23, were shot. An 18-year-old suspect ran into a nearby house, where the standoff with police occurred. He was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Both victims have been released from the hospital. Officials say the shootings appear to be gang-related. Investigation is ongoing.
Source: The Dallas Morning News    Date: November 24, 2003

Man shot three times while using pay phone (Fort Worth, TX): A 23-year-old man was shot three times as he used a pay phone in north Fort Worth, police say. Police have a lead on the suspects' vehicle and believe the shooting may have been gang-related.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram    Date: November 1, 2003

Drug gang member sentenced to life (Houston, TX): A 30-year-old ranking member of the Victoria branch of the Mexican Mafia drug gang was sentenced to life in prison without parole for drug dealing and participating in the killing of three men, the U.S. attorney's office said. The man was convicted in May of conspiracy and racketeering. According to testimony from the Assistant U.S. Attorney, the man was a sergeant, the second-highest rank in the prison-spawned Mexican Mafia's local branch.
Source: The Houston Chronicle    Date: October 20, 2003

Gang signs increase in South County (South County, TX): Montgomery County law enforcement authorities say they have noticed an increased gang presence in the South County area, as graffiti continues to crop up. "We're starting to see graffiti come back," a detective said. "It was real strong in the mid 1990s, then it died down for several years. A lot of these gangs are wanting to rekindle their dominance." Two types of gangs are responsible for the bulk of the graffiti, actual street gangs and bands of juveniles who fancy themselves as gangsters. Officials have said there is little they can do about the graffiti problem because it is nearly impossible to prove who is responsible unless the artist is caught in the act.
Source: The Houston Chronicle    Date: October 9, 2003

San Pat studies how to combat gang problems (San Patricio County, TX): Two Corpus Christi gang officers recently went on record saying that good documentation, evidence collection and research, and getting to know gang members will be the key to combating increasing gang problems in San Patricio County. This comes after a San Patricio County attorney recently discussed the prevalence of gangs recruiting juveniles in the county with law enforcement, city government leaders, and school officials. So far this year, four people have died in San Patricio County in homicides that authorities suspect are gang-related. Officials believe that Corpus Christi, Robstown, Alice, and Taft are hot spots for gangs because gang leadership operates from each city. Furthermore, drug sales controlled by gangs such as the Mexican Mafia, the Texas Syndicate, and La Raza Unida have contributed to murders, robberies, and violence. A district attorney said most of the cases prosecuted by his office are tied to substance abuse, which in turn is often tied to gangs.
Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times    Date: October 8, 2003

Three-year-old killed (Weslaco, TX): A 3-year-old girl was killed, and two relatives were injured in a drive-by shooting at a trailer park in Weslaco. The girl's uncle and aunt, ages 23 and 22, respectively, were in serious but stable condition. The family was outside their home when people in a car drove past and opened fire with a shotgun, police said. "We believe the target of the shooting was in fact a rival gang member," an officer said. "We do have suspects in mind."
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire    Date: October 4, 2003

West Side drive-by shooting hurts four (San Antonio, TX): Four people were injured in what appears to be a gang-related, drive-by shooting on the West Side. According to witnesses and the victims, a group of people were talking in the front yard of a house when an SUV pulled up, and the driver and two passengers began yelling "RPK!" which, according to police, stands for Rosedale Park Kings. Shots were fired, and the suspects sped off. No arrests have been made.
Source: San Antonio Express-News    Date: October 2, 2003

18 girls suspended over anti-gang rule (Kaufman, TX): Eighteen girls received one-day suspensions from a Kaufman junior high school for wearing shirts that officials said violated dress-code provisions designed to prevent gang activity. Initially, nine girls were suspended for wearing shirts that had various shades of blue. Nine more girls were suspended later for violating the dress code in what the principal believed was done out of protest. A year ago, a group of mostly boys wore blue and called themselves by a gang name, so the suspension of the girls was done to prevent any potential gang activity at the school. Kaufman's dress code states in part, "Clothing items cannot be worn in any way that reflects gang affiliation, conceals contraband, or creates a distraction."
Source: The Dallas Morning News    Date: September 26, 2003