GUN Crime:- Incidents - Arrests

Ten die in Memorial Day weekend Chicago shootings

2012-05-30T14:52:00.005Z

Ten people were killed and dozens were wounded in shootings in Chicago during the long Memorial Day weekend, police said on Tuesday. The 96-hour spasm of gun violence added to the toll of what already has been a deadly year on the streets of the third-largest U.S. city. Through May 13 this year there have been 185 homicides in the city, according to the latest police figures, up from 116 during the comparable period last year. Chicago's murder rate has outpaced New York City, which has more than twice the population. This weekend's victims included a 7-year-old girl wounded Friday afternoon while playing in front of her house on the city's south side and a 13-year-old boy slain in a pizzeria on the city's north side early Tuesday. The surge in deadly shootings has frustrated Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who vowed to cut the city's crime rate when he was elected last year. While most violent crime is down year to date, murders are up more than 50 percent, according to police data. Officials say years of targeting by law enforcement has shattered Chicago's once-stable gang structure and that the jump in murders reflects a power struggle between the smaller gangs trying to fill the vacuum. On Tuesday, Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced a new push to fight gang-related violence and to close businesses in the city they said served as "conduits for criminal activity." Officials said record heat also may have contributed to the violence during the holiday weekend. In Chicago and other U.S. cities, homicide rates rise along with the temperature in the spring and summer as more people go out into the streets and drink to cool off. Temperatures in the city reached 97 on Sunday and 95 on Monday, making it the hottest Memorial Day weekend in more than a century, according to the National Weather Service.

Ten die in Memorial Day weekend Chicago shootings

2012-05-30T14:52:00.003Z

Ten people were killed and dozens were wounded in shootings in Chicago during the long Memorial Day weekend, police said on Tuesday. The 96-hour spasm of gun violence added to the toll of what already has been a deadly year on the streets of the third-largest U.S. city. Related Emanuel touts crime-fighting plan Ads by Google Meet Chinese Lady Waiting,or Dating? Here Find 10000 Best Choice & Seek Your Miss Right! www.chinese-lady.com Find Cheap Flights Online Compare Prices From More Than 740+ Different Travel Sites Here! www.momondo.co.uk Through May 13 this year there have been 185 homicides in the city, according to the latest police figures, up from 116 during the comparable period last year. Chicago's murder rate has outpaced New York City, which has more than twice the population. This weekend's victims included a 7-year-old girl wounded Friday afternoon while playing in front of her house on the city's south side and a 13-year-old boy slain in a pizzeria on the city's north side early Tuesday. The surge in deadly shootings has frustrated Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who vowed to cut the city's crime rate when he was elected last year. While most violent crime is down year to date, murders are up more than 50 percent, according to police data. Officials say years of targeting by law enforcement has shattered Chicago's once-stable gang structure and that the jump in murders reflects a power struggle between the smaller gangs trying to fill the vacuum. On Tuesday, Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced a new push to fight gang-related violence and to close businesses in the city they said served as "conduits for criminal activity." Officials said record heat also may have contributed to the violence during the holiday weekend. In Chicago and other U.S. cities, homicide rates rise along with the temperature in the spring and summer as more people go out into the streets and drink to cool off. Temperatures in the city reached 97 on Sunday and 95 on Monday, making it the hottest Memorial Day weekend in more than a century, according to the National Weather Service.

Ten die in Memorial Day weekend Chicago shootings

2012-05-30T14:52:00.001Z

Ten people were killed and dozens were wounded in shootings in Chicago during the long Memorial Day weekend, police said on Tuesday. The 96-hour spasm of gun violence added to the toll of what already has been a deadly year on the streets of the third-largest U.S. city. Related Emanuel touts crime-fighting plan Ads by Google Meet Chinese Lady Waiting,or Dating? Here Find 10000 Best Choice & Seek Your Miss Right! www.chinese-lady.com Find Cheap Flights Online Compare Prices From More Than 740+ Different Travel Sites Here! www.momondo.co.uk Through May 13 this year there have been 185 homicides in the city, according to the latest police figures, up from 116 during the comparable period last year. Chicago's murder rate has outpaced New York City, which has more than twice the population. This weekend's victims included a 7-year-old girl wounded Friday afternoon while playing in front of her house on the city's south side and a 13-year-old boy slain in a pizzeria on the city's north side early Tuesday. The surge in deadly shootings has frustrated Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who vowed to cut the city's crime rate when he was elected last year. While most violent crime is down year to date, murders are up more than 50 percent, according to police data. Officials say years of targeting by law enforcement has shattered Chicago's once-stable gang structure and that the jump in murders reflects a power struggle between the smaller gangs trying to fill the vacuum. On Tuesday, Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced a new push to fight gang-related violence and to close businesses in the city they said served as "conduits for criminal activity." Officials said record heat also may have contributed to the violence during the holiday weekend. In Chicago and other U.S. cities, homicide rates rise along with the temperature in the spring and summer as more people go out into the streets and drink to cool off. Temperatures in the city reached 97 on Sunday and 95 on Monday, making it the hottest Memorial Day weekend in more than a century, according to the National Weather Service.

ABLE Investigating Okla Bar After Teen Shot In Lot

2012-05-25T16:39:00.001Z

A sports bar that was hosting a party for a teenager when a 13-year-old boy was fatally shot in its parking lot did not follow procedures for admitting minors, authorities said. Jordan Sigli, a sixth-grader at Emerson Elementary School, died at a hospital early Tuesday after he was hit in a drive-by shooting about 10:20 p.m. Sunday outside Tanzi Sports Bar, 3205 N. Peoria Ave., Tulsa police said. Police said the boy was headed to a 17-year-old's birthday party at the sports bar. But to allow minors inside, the business would have had to notify the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission 10 days in advance that it was hosting a private event, ABLE Capt. Kent James said. James said the agency was not notified. Initially, he could only confirm that ABLE's Tulsa office had not received notification, saying early Tuesday that he was unsure whether the Oklahoma City office had been notified. The agency has opened an inquiry into the business, he said. Minors can enter bars that are reserved for private events if no alcohol is served, James said. Violations of Oklahoma's liquor laws are punishable by fines or suspended or revoked liquor licenses. Tulsa police said it appeared that the sports bar had been rented for the teenager's party and that it was not serving alcohol. Owner Rashida Mack said she was not aware of the requirement to report private events attended by minors. She said she once regularly rented out the building to parents for children's birthday parties but decided to stop after two children fought at a recent party. Sunday was an exception because Mack said she had promised a girl that she would host her birthday party. Several parents and dozens of teenagers attended, she said. She said she had always removed alcohol from the building during children's parties and supplied punch and snacks. That was the case Sunday, she said. Authorities "don't even have to worry about it because I'm not going to have any more kid's parties anyway," she said. She said she had no contact with ABLE as of Wednesday but planned to cooperate with any investigation. Donald Walker, who leases the building to Mack, said "she runs a nice, clean establishment" and that he was shocked to hear of the shooting. Police said they are more focused on finding leads in the slaying than investigating the sports bar. Sigli was shot moments after a friend's mother dropped off him and several friends for the party, according to police and a boy who said he was with Sigli. Although no one else was hit, police said they had no evidence that Sigli was the target. It was more likely to be someone in the crowd outside the sports bar who had some connection to the shooters, police said. The shots reportedly came from a damaged gold or tan '90s-model Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis that sped by on Peoria Avenue. Police found numerous shell casings from two different guns, leading investigators to believe that there were multiple shooters. Mack said she believes Sigli was actually at a car wash next to her business and that the shooters must have been aiming there. The car wash is a popular hangout for teenagers and "has been a problem for years," she said. "We have a nice crowd every night," she said. "The only reason I get business is because they know Tanzi is safe and that the car wash is the problem." Tulsa Police Sgt. Dave Walker said investigators were still confident Wednesday that Sigli was shot in the sports bar's parking lot. The boy who said he was with Sigli said they were there for the party. Investigators had few leads on the shooters Wednesday but were not ruling out gang activity.

Three injured in drive-by shooting in Jennings

2012-05-25T16:37:00.001Z

Police say two men were shot and a woman injured while running from shots being fired from a passing sport utility vehicle this morning in Jennings. The shooting occurred about 1:35 a.m. in the 5700 block of Acme Avenue, police said. Two men, 19 and 21, were on a porch when they were shot by at least two people in a passing SUV. A woman, 18, cut her feet on broken glass as she fled the gunfire. All were taken to hospitals for treatment and are expected to survive, police said. No suspects were in custody Thursday.

Guns find way north

2012-05-21T10:02:00.001Z

Criminal groups and terrorists north of the border are borrowing a page from the Mexican drug cartel playbook and buying weapons smuggled from the U.S. that are generally unavailable in Canada. Though the numbers are small compared to the southbound flow of guns to Mexico, U.S. gun traffickers are using similar methods to ferry guns northward. They hire "straw" purchasers to buy guns in Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Michigan and other states, and send them over border crossings that include Buffalo, Detroit and Washington state. Canadian gangs exchange highly potent hydroponic marijuana or drugs like Ecstasy for handguns. "For us, it's a river of guns flowing north," said David Miller, former mayor of Toronto. "'If the traffic were going the other way, you'd see members of Congress saying Canada is exporting terror to the U.S." From 2007 through 2011, Canada submitted 6,574 guns to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for tracing — a fraction of the 99,000 guns Mexico asked ATF to trace. Virtually all of the guns recovered in Canada were traced to U.S. sources, with just over half linked to a retail purchase in the U.S. By contrast, ATF data showed just over two-thirds of guns from Mexico were traced to U.S. sources — a U.S. manufacturer or importer — and just under one-third were linked to a U.S. retail purchase. There are stark differences. Canada is relatively tranquil, while Mexico is awash in guns and cartel violence. Mexican drug cartels prefer military-style semiautomatic rifles like the AK-47 and AR-15, while Canadian counterparts primarily want handguns, which are heavily restricted under Canadian law. Canada has gun registration and licensing; Mexico has neither. But there are similarities too, including the comparative ease of gun-purchasing in the U.S., drug traffickers' desire to protect turf and limit competition, and a lengthy, easily penetrated border. Canadian drug rings range from Asian ethnic groups operating primarily in British Columbia to motorcycle gangs and traditional Mafia-type rings in Ontario and Quebec. Gang-related violence, once a rarity in Canada, is on the rise. In 2005 — "the year of the gun" — Toronto had 52 gun homicides. Toronto police reported that of 181 crime guns they confiscated and traced to a retail sale, two-thirds — 120 — were from the U.S. ATF officials are loath to attribute Canadian violence entirely to U.S. guns. "Yes, guns do come from the U.S., no doubt about it," said Regina Lombardo, the agency's attache in Toronto. However, "we don't know the totality of all weapons recovered in the entire country of Canada." Canadian law enforcement seized nearly 110,000 firearms over the past four years and fielded at least 439,000 gun-trace requests from 2008 through 2011, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Julie Gagnon. But many of the seizures and traces were not for guns used in crimes but rather for violations of gun licensing and registration laws, she added. Because of its tough gun laws, New York state is more of a way station than a source for guns bound for Canada. Last year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested a drug courier in Syracuse, who was about to take a load of 17 handguns to Canada, said James Burns, the Albany-based DEA agent in charge of New York-Canada border investigations. The guns had been transported from Louisiana. ATF and ICE agents in 2007 broke up a smuggling ring that used straw purchasers to buy guns in Florida, Georgia and Alabama in exchange for ecstasy pills. The gang then transported the guns to Canada in hidden compartments of rental cars. Canadian border guards stopped one of the cars at the Peace Bridge between Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ontario, and found seven handguns and half a pound of cocaine. Terrorists too have gotten in on the act. The Toronto 18 plot to blow up that city's stock exchange and other buildings began to unravel in 2005 when Canadian border guards stopped two Somali immigrants on the Peace Bridge and found three loaded handguns they had purchased in Columbus, Ohio. Two of the guns were taped to the thighs of the group's chief gunrunner, Ali Dirie. Guns traced to a trafficking ring's purchase of 500 weapons in Kentucky were implicated in the shooting deaths of eight Bandito motorcycle gang members and a shootout with police after a jewelry store holdup, both in Ontario. The ringleader, Ricardo Tolliver, had exchanged the guns for marijuana. He was convicted in federal court in 2009 and sentenced to 32 years in prison. "Handguns are strictly controlled in Canada, so that's what creates the market," said Wendy Cukier, a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto and president of the Coalition for Gun Control. With American weapons abundantly available, "it stands to reason the leakage of the domestic supply of U.S. guns is going to create problems in other countries." ATF, besieged by accusations of wrongdoing in Operation Fast & Furious on the Southwest border, is not anxious to engage in any finger-pointing. In Fast & Furious, Phoenix-based ATF agents used watch-and-wait tactics on cartel-linked gun purchasers but then lost track of over 2,000 weapons once they were transported to Mexico. But unlike the Southwest border, where relations with Mexican authorities have been strained by a long history of corruption in Mexico, the Northern border is a model of law enforcement cooperation, U.S. officials say. "We are working side by side with Canadian officers (to) let them know that if guns are sourced to the U.S., we are committed to cutting off that pipeline," Lombardo said.

Man injured in Toppenish drive-by shooting

2012-05-21T09:59:00.001Z

Yakima County Sheriff's deputies are looking for suspects involved in an early morning drive-by shooting. It happened outside of a home on the 100 block of Burr Street in Buena, at around 12:45 a.m. Sunday. Deputies say a male victim was taken to a hospital by a private vehicle to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. The victim told detectives three or four Hispanic males in a dark colored Honda vehicle drove up to the home, when one of the suspects stepped out of the car and began shooting. The victim told deputies he was unaware he had been shot at the time of the incident. The victim told detectives he threw an empty beer bottle at the car, breaking a window, before the suspects drove away from the scene. Detectives have not released the name or age of the victim.

Man sustains slight wound in Buena drive-by shooting

2012-05-21T09:58:00.001Z

A man suffered minor injuries after being hit in a drive-by shooting early Sunday in Buena, the Yakima County Sheriff's Office reported. The shooting took place in the 100 block of Burr Street at 12:45 a.m. Witnesses said a dark-color Honda with three or four males inside drove up to a home. One of the men got out of the car and opened fire, striking the victim, who didn't know immediately that he had been shot. The victim threw an empty beer bottle at the Honda and broke a window as the car fled. By the time deputies reached the scene, the victim had been taken to the hospital with what they said appeared to be a very slight injury. Witnesses and the victim said they don't know who the assailants could be. Detectives will continue investigating, the sheriff's office said.

3 suspects identified in Manatee County drive-by shooting

2012-05-21T09:57:00.001Z

Three subjects taken into custody following two drive-by shootings Saturday afternoon in Bradenton have been identified. They are Jokevious Bell, 20; Deandre A. Lilly, 21; and Anthony M. Sanchez, 21, all of Bradenton. The first shooting took place at approximately 4:40 p.m. at the 2800 block of Sixth Street East in Bradenton. Deputies arrived on the scene while others searched the area for the suspect vehicle, said Lt. Joel Perez of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. Deputies witnessed the second shooting 30 minutes later in the 500 block of 30th Avenue East in Bradenton. No one was shot in either incident, Perez said. Deputies pursued the suspect vehicle across the De Soto Bridge into Palmetto. When nearing the intersection of U.S. 41 North and 17th Street East in Palmetto, the suspect vehicle struck another vehicle making a left turn at the traffic signal. The second vehicle sustained mostly front-end damage. The driver and passenger were taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital for evaluation, Perez said. The collision caused the suspects' vehicle to go off the shoulder and into a wall at RaceTrac gas station before rolling over on its side. The three occupants of the vehicle are in custody and were treated for minor injuries at Manatee Memorial Hospital, Perez said. Perez said motive behind the shootings is unknown. The investigation is ongoing.

2 killed, 2 wounded in drive-by shooting in Fort Worth

2012-05-21T09:55:00.003Z

Two people were shot to death Sunday night and two others were injured in a drive-by shooting on Interstate 35W in south Fort Worth, authorities said. Police said the driver of a white Toyota and a front-seat passenger were killed. Two people in the back seat were wounded and a third escaped injury. Police had no description of the suspect vehicle. Authorities had not released any information on what prompted the shooting, which occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday at I-35W and Sycamore School Road. Police said the five victims had been at a Hooters restaurant near Hulen Street, left the business and drove onto Interstate 20 then turned south onto Interstate 35W. Soon afterward, a vehicle pulled along side of them and opened fire, said Police Capt. Kevin Rodricks. The Toyota veered off the freeway onto a service road where it hit a concrete embankment and then came to rest on the service road, Rodricks said.

Drive-By Shooting Leaves One Wounded

2012-05-21T09:55:00.001Z

A teenager is in serious condition following a drive-by shooting outside a North Tulsa bar, late Sunday Night. Tulsa Police Sergeant Steve Stoltz tells KTUL.com officers were originally flagged down by passersby in the area of 36th Street North & Peoria about a car that had fired "several shots" outside Tanzi's Snack Bar in the 3200 block of North Peoria. When officers arrived at the scene, witnesses had varying stories on what had happened. Stoltz says officers were told that there 'was no shooting, well there was a shooting, a drive-by where the occupants of the car had fired shots into the air and no one was hit.' Stoltz went onto say they didn't "want police presence." As officers were getting ready to leave the scene, police dispatch radioed that there was in fact a shooting victim being transported by car to a nearby hospital. Stoltz says that "after about ten minutes officers were able to determine that the shootings were related." Upon further investigation of the scene by officers, multiple shell casings were found up and down Peoria Avenue near the bar. Stoltz says the casings were of "multiple calibers." The victim at last check was listed in serious condition at OSU Medical Center. So far, Police have no motive for the shooting. Witnesses have given conflicting descriptions of the suspect vehicle involved.

Man jailed for drug addict murder

2012-05-19T22:36:00.001Z

A man who murdered a drug addict in west London over a £50 robbery and then had trial witnesses threatened has been jailed for life. Anthony Small, 32, used a sub machine gun to shoot Anthony Dickson in Hayes on Christmas Eve, 2010. Two weeks earlier Mr Dickson, 33, had been so desperate for drugs that he stole the crack cocaine from Satwant Virdee. Virdee worked as a runner for Small and fellow dealer Max Feliciano, who would not let the robbery go unavenged. At the Old Bailey Small was jailed for life for murder and told he will serve a minimum of 34 years. Feliciano was sentenced to 14 years for manslaughter, and a further three years for smuggling drugs into prison. Judge John Bevan QC told Small: "This was a planned execution over a paltry £50 robbery and a few wraps of Class A. I suspect that you regarded the victim as disrespecting you, combined with a lack of self-control and a total lack of proportion for what he had done. "What entitles you as a drug dealer to administer a death sentence in addition to the misery you inflict on other drug addicts is beyond me." Feliciano and Small arranged to meet Mr Dickson near a park in Hayes, where Small, from Harlesden, north west London, shot him twice at close range with a sub machine gun. In the run-up to his trial for the murder at the Old Bailey last year, Small had two prosecution witnesses threatened and tried to intimidate his ex-girlfriend into giving him a false alibi. Nevertheless he was convicted of murder in November, while Feliciano, 27, from Hayes, was found guilty of manslaughter earlier this month. Judge Bevan told Feliciano, who started taking heroin at the age of 13 and drug dealing at 16: "You are intelligent, street-wise and in my judgment entirely lacking in scruples. You have chosen to follow your own selfish ends and ignore any responsibility for your partner and three children." Feliciano was found in his cell at Belmarsh prison with 57 wraps of heroin, totalling just over six grams.

Resident who killed intruder in St. Louis won't face charges

2012-05-18T11:34:00.001Z

Wednesday's shooting death of a man at a house on Labadie Avenue was justified because he was breaking into the home at the time, police said Thursday. No charges are being filed against the resident who fired the fatal shot. Police say the case has been classified as a justifiable homicide. It's the latest use of Missouri's Castle Doctrine, which allows people who encounter an intruder in their homes or vehicles to use deadly force without fear of being charged or sued. The dead man was identified Thursday as Jerome Burse, 38. Police say Burse, who had a gun, and a second man armed with a knife broke into a home in the 4700 block of Labadie Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. They took money and jewelry from people at the home. Shots were fired inside the house, police said. One of the adults in the home was a 23-year-old man, who chased the intruders outside and fired shots at them. Burse collapsed on Marcus Avenue about a half block from the house. Burse was taken to a local hospital, where he died. Burse had lived in the 4200 block of North 20th Street. Police recovered Burse's gun at the crime scene. The second suspect got away. Police say they don't know if the second man was shot. Police continue to investigate who that man might be. Police did not identify the man who killed Burse and were not seeking charges against him. The other victims of the home invasion were identified only as two women, ages 19 and 22, a 66-year-old man and a 7-month-old girl. According to court records, Burse's criminal past in St. Louis includes unlawful use of a weapon in 1993 and drug possession a year later. He pleaded guilty in both cases. He was sentenced to a 120-day shock jail time in the drug case and 167 days in jail for the weapons violation.

'Pocahontas' the stripper accused in fatal shooting of man in northwest Houston

2012-05-15T04:28:00.001Z

female stripper is accused of setting up a man for a robbery in which he was shot and killed earlier this year in northwest Houston. Related Court documents state Luerissie Ashley Ross, aka 'Pocahontas,' was involved with the robbery and murder of Budrohoe Briscoe on February, 17, 2012. A witness told police that Briscoe picked him up and told him they were going to pick up his friend named Pocahontas. The witness says he and Briscoe picked up Pocahontas behind an apartment complex in the 2300 block of W. Tidwell Rd. when she received a phone call and told the person on the other end, "Yes, there are two of them." Pocahontas then told Briscoe and the witness that she needed to return to her apartment to get an item. According to court documents, they drove back to the complex and saw a white Lincoln parked in the back of the complex with two males inside. They parked and Pocahontas exited the car. The witness says a short time later, Pocahontas called and asked Briscoe to come meet her. The witness told police that Briscoe walked to the courtyard where Pocahontas was waiting with two black males, and that he saw the two men rob and shoot Briscoe. Briscoe died in the hospital on February 29. According to police, they discovered Pocahontas worked as a dancer at a local strip club and that her real name is Ross. They also say she was involved in another robbery/shooting in the area on January 20. Investigators say Ross admitted that she was present the night of Briscoe's shooting and that she set him up to be robbed. Ross, 20, is charged with capital murder. No bond has been set in the case.

Shootings leave 2 dead, 17 wounded across city

2012-05-12T15:52:00.001Z

Two men were killed and 17 other people wounded in separate shootings across the city overnight, police said. One man died and three others were wounded by gunfire about 10:50 p.m. on the 7900 block of South Paulina Street in the Gresham neighborhood, police said. A 21-year-old man died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn after being shot in the back, police said. A 21-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and is in serious condition at John H. Stroger Jr., Hospital of Cook County. A 21-year-old man was shot in the right arm and a 32-year-old woman was shot in the ankle; both are in stable condition at Holy Cross Hospital, police said. Three males emerged from a light-colored sedan and started shooting at the group, police said. The three men in the group are all affiliated with a local gang, police said, but it's unclear if that's why they were targeted. Police are not sure if the woman is affiliated with a gang. A 24-year-old man was shot dead in the Little Village neighborhood about 8:50 p.m., police said. He was shot in the head and chest by a male who had exited a light-colored pickup truck on the 2700 block of South Homan Avenue and opened fire, police said. The shooting appears gang-related but police didn't say what gave them that impression. A 30-year-old man was shot in the right thigh in the 300 block of South Kilpatrick Avenue in the West Garfield Park neighborhood about 1:30 a.m. by a male gunman who came up to the victim on foot while he was standing on a sidewalk, police said. The 30-year-old was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in stable condition, police said. A 26-year-old man was shot in the leg by a male on foot about 1 a.m. while walking on the 3600 block of West Chicago Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said. A friend drove the victim to Norwegian American Hospital, where he's in stable condition, police said. Three men were shot about 12:30 a.m. on the 6800 block of South Claremont Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood, police said. A 22-year-old man was shot in the right side of his abdomen, a 21-year-old man was shot in the left leg, and an 18-year-old man was shot in his right buttocks. The three were standing on a sidewalk when someone shot at them from a nearby gangway. Police said the shooting may be gang-related. The 21 and 18-year-olds are both at Advocate Christ Medical Center, and the third man is at Holy Cross Hospital, police said. Their specific conditions were not known, but police said they had all stabilized. A man, 22, was shot about 12:25 a.m. on the 3300 block of West Washington Boulevard in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, police said. He was walking down the street when someone shot him in the knee. An acquaintance dropped him off at Rush University Medical Center but he was transferred to Stroger Hospital, police said. A 19-year-old man was shot in the leg about 12:20 a.m. near the corner of LeMoyne Street and Maplewood Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said. Someone shot at the man from inside a nearby vehicle. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in stable condition, police said. The shooting may be gang-related. About 12:10 a.m., a 22-year-old man suffered a graze wound to his right thigh and a 21-year-old man was shot in the right calf, police said. The two were on the 8200 block of South Richmond Avenue in the Wrightwood neighborhood when they were shot and ended up at Little Company of Mary Hospital. It's not clear how they got there. Police said both were treated and released. The two victims said they were shot on Richmond but police weren't able to find a crime scene and didn't get any reports of gunfire from residents in the area. A man was found shot in an alley on the 3500 block of West 83rd Street in the Ashburn neighborhood about midnight, police said. His age wasn't available but he was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center, police said. He was in surgery as of about 2 a.m. An 18-year-old woman was shot about 11:30 p.m. Friday on the 6400 block of South Talman Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood, police said. She was walking down the street when someone in a passing light-colored sedan opened fire, hitting her in the left thigh, police said. She's in stable condition at Holy Cross Hospital, police said. A 16-year-old boy walking with friends was shot on the 7900 block of South Avalon Avenue in the Avalon Park neighborhood about 10:35 p.m., police said. He was shot in the shoulder and is in good condition at Jackson Park Hospital. His shooter approached on foot and opened fire, police said. About 9 p.m., two people standing in a strip mall in the 5000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood were shot. A 47-year-old woman was grazed on the shin and was treated by Chicago paramedics at the scene. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the left bicep and suffered a graze wound on his left forearm, police said. He was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago in good condition, police said. No one is in custody in any of the shootings, police said, and Area North, Central and South detectives are investigating.

Fla. mom gets 20 years for firing warning shots

2012-05-12T15:50:00.001Z

A Florida woman who fired warning shots against her allegedly abusive husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville had said the state's "Stand Your Ground" law should apply to her because she was defending herself against her allegedly abusive husband when she fired warning shots inside her home in August 2010. She told police it was to escape a brutal beating by her husband, against whom she had already taken out a protective order. CBS Affiliate WETV reports that Circuit Court Judge James Daniel handed down the sentence Friday. Under Florida's mandatory minimum sentencing requirements Alexander could receive a lesser sentence, even though she has never been in trouble with the law before. Judge Daniel said the law did not allow for extenuating or mitigating circumstances to reduce the sentence below the 20-year minimum. "I really was crying in there," Marissa's 11-year-old daughter told WETV. "I didn't want to cry in court, but I just really feel hurt. I don't think this should have been happening." Alexander was convicted of attempted murder after she rejected a plea deal for a three-year prison sentence. She said she did not believe she did anything wrong. She was recently denied a new trial after appealing to the judge to reconsider her case based on Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law. The law states that the victim of a crime does not have to attempt to run for safety and can immediately retaliate in self-defense. Alexander's attorney said she was clearly defending herself and should not have to spend the next two decades behind bars. Alexander's case has drawn support from domestic abuse advocates - and comparison to the case of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who has claimed a "Stand Your Ground" defense in his fatal shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

Police arrest drive-by shooting suspect

2012-05-12T14:49:00.001Z

Police have arrested a man suspected of seriously injuring a Gold Hill man in a drive-by shooting on Beall Lane in Central Point last November. Known gang member and sex offender Gabriel Perez, 21, was arrested at a residence along the 3000 block of Shelterwood Circle in Medford at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Medford police had come to the residence on an unrelated case when they saw Perez jump out of a window and take off running. Police caught up with him and arrested him. Suspects in shooting may have performed gang ritualAnother drive-by suspect is soughtOne dead after shooting, crashNeighborhood rattled by outburst of violence Perez is lodged in the Jackson County Jail without bail on a parole violation for sexual assault, unrelated to the shooting and subsequent high-speed car chase that killed another man in November. Charges related to the shooting are under review by the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. The shooting happened at 4 a.m. Nov. 1. Erik Lee Dorey, then 22, and Jennifer Knutson, then 19, were sitting in an Izuzu Rodeo near the corner of Beall Lane and Circle Wood Drive. A car, allegedly driven by 19-year-old Trevor Carbajal, of Dinuba, Calif., pulled up in a 2004 Chevy. Perez is suspected to have fired several gunshots from the Chevy, which shattered the Rodeo's windows. One bullet hit Dorey in the mouth, and Knutson sustained minor injuries. Police later saw the Chevy run a red light and pursued it from Highway 99 up to the 8200 block of Old Stage Road, where the car crashed. Passenger Gustavo Santiago, 16, was ejected from the vehicle and killed. Carbajal and 19-year-old Francisco Campos were rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Perez fled from the scene and was able to seek medical treatment at Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass under a different name before fleeing again. Carbajal and Campos have been indicted on attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder charges, among others.

Kong Vue did not plan to commit a homicide, but he panicked and shot Sara Hougom twice while in her apartment to steal her purse

2012-05-10T13:37:00.001Z

Kong Vue did not plan to commit a homicide, but he panicked and shot Sara Hougom twice while in her apartment to steal her purse, investigators testified Wednesday. "I think I just shot somebody," Vue told his uncle after leaving her apartment on March 26, La Crosse police detective Sgt. Jake Jansky testified. Vue, 19, and his uncle, Pao Choua Vue, 21, both of La Crosse, are charged in La Crosse County Circuit Court with first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide as party to the crime stemming from Hougom's death and a drive-by shooting minutes earlier. Ads by Google Circuit Judge Todd Bjerke found enough evidence Wednesday during their preliminary hearing to bind them over for trial. They return to court May 21 for arraignments after prosecutors decide whether to file additional charges. Kong Vue told investigators he walked into Hougom's unlocked apartment at 721 Division St. on March 26 hunting for her purse. He fired twice in her direction when he saw her move on the couch, Jansky testified. He then fled to a waiting car driven by his uncle. Hougom called 911 from her cell phone at 4:18 p.m., though dispatchers heard only "moaning or crying in the background, but no verbalization," La Crosse police officer Dan Ulrich testified. Officers found Hougom pale and unresponsive on the couch but with no signs of injury to her body, Ulrich said. Police and paramedics performed CPR before taking her to Mayo Clinic Health System. Doctors worked on her for 15 minutes and finally realized she'd been shot only when a small drop of blood emerged from her chest and an X-ray revealed the gunshot wounds, Ulrich testified. Hougom, 20, was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m. Kong Vue told investigators he brought the gun -- the same one his uncle used in a drive-by shooting on the North Side -- to the robbery for intimidation, Jansky said. Upset by a recent argument with his girlfriend over money, Kong Vue told investigators he spent the morning of March 26 searching for jobs before picking up Pao Choua Vue, Jansky testified. They drove around the city before reaching 1519 Island St., where Pao Choua Vue fired four rounds into the house about 15 minutes before the shooting at Hougom's apartment, Jansky said. Three people in the house at the time were celebrating an 83-year-old's birthday when they heard a "crashing" noise, La Crosse police officer Brad Schomberg said. No one was hurt in that incident, and police said there was no motive for the shooting. Authorities recovered three bullets from inside the home and four casings from the street, investigator Ron Secord testified. The state Crime Laboratory determined the shell casings recovered from Island Street match those found at Hougom's apartment and were fired from the same gun, Jansky said. Authorities have not recovered the gun. At the time of the shootings, Pao Choua Vue was free on a cash bond for a pending drug case, but has been in the La Crosse County Jail since the day after the crimes for violating his bond. Former inmate Lucas Brickl testified Wednesday Pao Choua Vue stood up, spread out his arms and declared that he "killed" and "shot" Hougom during television news reports of her death. Pao Choua Vue and Kong Vue remain jailed on $1 million cash bonds.

Three teens injured in pair of unrelated shootings this week

2012-05-10T13:36:00.001Z

Three teens were injured in unrelated shooting incidents on Monday and Wednesday, according to the Decatur Police Department. A 16-year-old male was injured in his arm during a drive-by shooting at 5:26 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Dunham and Packard streets, according to police, and two arrests were quickly made. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening, police said. Police said witnesses provided descriptions of two suspects, whose vehicle was located minutes later in the 1200 block of West Green Street. Officers found the suspects nearby, positively identified them and made the arrests. The suspects, 18 and 17 years old, were taken to the Macon County Jail on preliminary charges of attempted murder. Police said the handgun used in the shooting was recovered during the investigation. On Monday night, two teen males were treated and released from Decatur Memorial Hospital after they were shot while they were sitting on the porch of a vacant house on Union Street. A 16-year-old male was shot in his left arm; a 17-year-old male suffered a wound to his right shoulder. The two males, along with two other teens who were on the porch with them, told police they heard gunshots while at a house in the 1300 block of North Union Street. “At some point, they heard shots fired near them,” Decatur Police Sgt. Shane Brandel said. “They realized they were being shot at. The victims said they then ran from the scene and that’s when they were shot.” The victims and their friends told police they didn’t see the shooter and didn’t know who shot at them. Other people in the area who heard the gunshots said they were unable to provide any information on the suspects. The incident remained under investigation.

One dead, one shot in Northside drive-by

2012-05-10T13:34:00.001Z

One man was killed and another shot in the knee at the Madison Woods apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Northside this afternoon. Sgt. Michael Paul of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the man was shot in the parking lot of the apartment complex located at 10970 Lem Turner Road at around 3:15 p.m. He said there were at least five shots fired. The victim is believed to be in his 20s. A man in a white SUV fired shots and hit the man multiple times. Another man in the parking lot was hit in the knee. A witness told the Times Union that she saw a man in front of the apartment complex who was shot. She said other residents told her that the man in the white SUV was driving around the complex asking for a connection to marijuana. The man in the car then stopped, got out and fired several shots at the victim. Sgt. Paul said the motive is unclear and they’re searching for the man in the white SUV who drove away after the shooting. No arrests have been man. He said the injured victim had an association with the man who was killed.

27-year-old man was shot in the upper torso on a street near Oceanside High School on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

2012-05-02T14:03:00.001Z

The shooting occurred about 1:25 p.m. in the 200 block of South Weitzel Street in the city's Crown Heights neighborhood, Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Mata said. The victim, whom police did not identify, was flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla with a wound that did not appear to be life-threatening, Mata said. The neighborhood, which has a long history of gang conflict, has seen a recent surge in gang-related violence, including the slaying of a teenager March 8, and the shooting of one of the resource center's volunteer soccer coaches March 2 within a block of each other. Tuesday's shooting is the third to happen in the one block-radius next to the Oceanside High School ballfields and less than a mile from City Hall. Mayor Jim Wood said Tuesday he was frustrated by the continuing violence in Crown Heights and called on the community to work closer with police to identify problems. "They've got to open up and speak to us," said Wood, a former police officer. "They have to take action, too." Councilman Jack Feller said he wanted to reassure the community "that we're on it." He said that the recent spate of shootings was "a very serious issue," and asked for the public to work with police to stop it. "I would say if they see wrongdoing, please, help us head off these types of incidents at the pass," Feller said. "If they know bad people are operating next door to them, help us ... we need them to help us." Councilman Jerry Kern said he's worried by the upsurge in violence going into the summer. "It seems like the activity over the last few weeks has gone up," Kern said. "It sounds like it's more gang violence. My concern is it will spill over into the general population, that a bystander will get hurt, not that I want to see gang members get hurt. I don't want to see anybody get hurt." Kern said community members have been organizing, trying to find some way to steer youths away from gangs. "Somehow, we've got to stop this before it starts," he said. "I don't know what the solution is. I'm at a loss. I don't know how we get to these young people." Kern said he's attended community meetings, and that the people who live in Crown Heights are frustrated, too. "The community really wants to help," Kern said. "I guess the feeling I have is severe disappointment. It seemed like we were headed in the right direction. I'm just disheartened that it happened again." Neighborhood organizer Ruben Almader said the city, police and residents have all stepped up to address the violence in the Crown Heights neighborhood, but change has been slow. "We ran out of time when the first person got shot," Almader said. "When the second person got shot, we were definitely out of time. And now that the third person was shot, there is no more time ---- we're out." He said the community should resist budget cuts that pull police officers off the streets in the neighborhood. "Letting one police officer go is like letting 600 police go in our neighborhood," Almedar said. "We need as much help as we can get." Blood still stains the concrete outside an apartment complex across the street from the Crown Heights Community Resource Center, where kids were laughing and playing soccer Tuesday ---- even after the shooting. Police did not immediately release information about the circumstances of Tuesday's shooting, and Mata was tight-lipped about any possible motive behind it. Two Latino males in hooded sweatshirts were seen running from the shooting, said Lt. Valencia Saadat, of the Oceanside police SWAT team. Police had not arrested any suspects by late Tuesday afternoon, Mata said. Residents in the Crown Heights neighborhood said they were afraid that the shooting were motivated by racial tension. The victim, residents said, was black. A local leader of the Mexican Mafia prison gang ordered Escondido's rival Latino street gangs to stop fighting amongst themselves and target black people instead, leading to a surge in such attacks, gang members and authorities said last month. Black people, the residents said, tend to be confronted in Crown Heights. The victim occasionally was asked why he was in a Latino neighborhood, said one man who didn't give his name. "They don't want blacks in the neighborhood," said a mother of five who identified herself only as Gloria. The 45-year-old Gloria said that's the word on the street, and she's worried because she looks black, though she isn't. She said she recently moved to Crown Heights, and now her pregnant daughter is afraid to leave the house. "Every other day there's gunshots," she said. "I left from a bad area in San Diego to a worse area."

Machine gun bullets hit home near mom, girl

2012-04-30T06:55:00.001Z

Local authorities have contacted federal investigators after police said stray gunfire from a northern Indiana gun store’s shooting event narrowly missed a woman and young child inside their home more than a mile away. A Cass County Sheriff’s Department report says the .308-caliber bullets from a Russian-made machine gun struck two homes and a garage in the town of Galveston. No injuries were reported from the shootings and no arrests were made, the Pharos-Tribune reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/I76bXD ). A prosecutor didn’t immediately return a phone call Thursday seeking comment about possible charges. Investigators contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concerning the incident, but a spokesman for the ATF office in Fort Wayne didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment Thursday. Lori Stout told the newspaper she was sitting at the dining room table at her mother’s home April 14 while her 5-year-old daughter ate lunch nearby when she heard the glass break in a window above the front door. At first she thought someone was throwing rocks, but when she heard a popping noise she realized it was gunfire and called 911. “I just didn’t know where to go,” Stout said. “I had to go get my phone and I thought, ‘What if they start shooting again?’ ” Police found a bullet lodged in a wooden door frame inside the home and another bullet in the drywall upstairs. The first bullet nearly hit the mother and daughter, a police report said. “If the round would have traveled three inches to the right, there is a high probability chance that Lori and/or her daughter could have been struck,” the report said. Police said officers determined the bullets came from a shooting event at a rural property sponsored by Down by the Tracks Gun Store in Galveston. Police went to the shoot and ordered the 60 to 70 people present to stop shooting their weapons, the report said. Store attorney Larry Hansen said active shooting was taking place at other nearby properties that day and declined to comment on whether any laws were broken. He also said there only were about 15 to 20 shooters. Gun store owner Melvin Cardwell and others helped police identify the weapon from which the bullet had been fired. Witnesses told police the machine gun had been fired by an unidentified woman. Shooters were supposed to fire at a backstop that was about 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide, the police report said. Other nearby properties also were hit by bullets, the police report said. Stout said she is grateful no one was harmed, but she would like to see some sort of judicial action taken. “I’d like someone to be held responsible,” Stout said. “Accidents happen, but there needs to be some level of accountability.”

Cops wound ex-con in Harlem shootout

2012-04-26T16:55:00.001Z

Police shot and wounded a 23-year-old ex-con who opened fire on a Harlem street Sunday evening, cops said. Franklyn Nunez was in stable condition at Harlem Hospital with wounds to his chest and thigh after the 6:30 p.m. confrontation outside a 99-cent store on Frederick Douglass Blvd. and 143rd St. Police said they recovered the suspect’s Colt .45, which was reported stolen in North Carolina. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Nunez was part of a crowd hanging out on the street but started to walk away as police approached.

Heists, overdoses rise after Canada bans painkiller

2012-04-20T07:03:00.001Z

Canadian police and doctors on Thursday reported a rash of pharmacy robberies and a rise in overdoses after the prescription drug OxyContin was pulled from circulation last month. Addicts and drug dealers stepped up raids on drug stores at gunpoint in search of the last doses of the painkiller or turned to alternative mind benders with sometimes deadly results. Meanwhile, detox clinics with few beds are being overwhelmed by demand for services, as some optimistically viewed the Canadian ban on OxyContin as an opportunity to kick their addiction and asked for help. "The big unknown is whether the supply has dried up on the street, how many people are turning to other substances and what is going to happen in the next few weeks," said Rita Shahin, Toronto's associate medical officer of health. Pharmacy robberies are already up, so far to 38 in the capital Ottawa this year. That is nearly as many as the 40 drug store robberies in all of 2011. Ottawa police staff sergeant Mike Haarbosch said the dwindling supply of OxyContin and continued high demand is part of the reason for the increase in robberies. "We noticed a spike in robberies in November when the switchover from OxyContin to OxyNeo started to be publicized," he said. Purdue Pharma stopped manufacturing OxyContin in Canada in March and replaced it with a new drug called OxyNeo that is harder to abuse because it cannot be easily crushed or injected to get high. Although no longer prescribed, some pharmacies still have small quantities of OxyContin left over in their stores. "The persons doing the robberies are either feeding their own addiction or turning the drugs around for resale on the street to people who are feeding that addiction," said Haarbosch. A 22-year-old man was the last to be charged this week in connection with a rash of robberies, including two pharmacies in Ottawa. "Overdoses are another big concern with people moving to other substances, especially Fentanyl because it's much stronger than OxyContin and it's very hard to determine the dose that you're injecting because it's scraped off a patch," Shahin told AFP. She pointed also to unknown health effects of injecting OxyNeo, a gel pill with identical chemical properties as OxyContin, into veins. Two percent of adults in Ontario province, the Canadian epicenter of prescription drug abuse, or more than 25,000 people have reported using opiates for non-medical reasons in the past year, which is indicative of addiction, said Shahin. When the OxyContin ban took effect on March 1, authorities braced for a withdrawal epidemic in many remote aboriginal communities, where as many as 80 percent of adults are hooked on prescription painkillers and few treatment options are available. In Cat Lake in northwest Ontario, school children wrote in an open letter to their parents to shine a spotlight on the problem: "It hurts us and shoomis and kokum (grandpa and grandma) when you're doing drugs and you're not at home." The drug is intended for relief of intense pain, by prescription only. But it had become widely available on bootleg markets throughout North America, particularly in Canada's native communities. When crushed, snorted or injected, it creates an instant high. Kicking the addiction can be too punishing for many. Withdrawal symptoms include irregular sleeping, shakes, diarrhea, headaches and anxiety, and relapses are frequent. So far a crisis has not emerged. But recovering addict Tony Sabourin in Ottawa told public broadcaster CBC that the transition to the new drug has already claimed three people he knows who unsuccessfully tried to cook OxyNeo and inject it earlier this month.

Gun industry's economic impact skyrockets during Obama years

2012-04-20T07:00:00.001Z

The economic impact of the firearms industry is up 66 percent since the beginning of the Great Recession, providing an unexpected shot in the arm for the economy, according to a new study. The National Shooting Sports Foundation says the economic impact of firearm sales — a figure that includes jobs. taxes and sales — hit $31 billion in 2011, up from $19 billion in 2008. Jobs in the firearms business jumped 30 percent from 2008 to 2011, when the industry employed 98,750. The industry paid $2.5 billion in federal taxes in 2011, up 66 percent in three years. “Ours is an industry with a rich history and heritage that remains vital and important to the American economy today,” NSSF Senior Vice President Lawrence G. Keane said in a statement. “To millions of Americans our industry’s products represent liberty, security and recreation.” Some in the industry attribute the jump in sales to fears the Obama administration will tighten gun control laws in a possible second term. “There’s a concern that in the second term the Obama administration would lead an attempt to restrict gun ownership,” Mr. Keane said. That concern, known in the industry as “the Obama factor,” has led many gun owners to purchase now in hopes of avoiding more restrictions and regulations later. “Some people jokingly refer to [President Obama] as the salesman of the year for the industry,” Mr. Keane said. Mr. Keane said the president doesn’t deserve all the credit for the sales growth. He said more young people and women are getting into gun ownership. “You cannot attribute all the increase simply to the Obama factor,” he said. “It’s a factor, it’s an important factor, but it’s not the only reason.” Although there is no single indicator that tracks the number of firearms sold in the country, the FBI reported that a record 14.4 million criminal background checks were requested for gun purchases in 2010, and that preliminary numbers project the figure to be above 16 million for 2011. According to the NSSF’s numbers, requests for gun-related background checks was up some 17.3 percent for the month of January 2012 compared to the same period a year earlier — the 20th straight monthly increase in background check requests. FBI officials say that just over 1 percent of such background checks result in denials, and not every background check results in a final gun purchase. But the numbers are widely considered a reliable proxy for gun sales trends generally.