Manchester and Old Trafford where young people see gang life as their only choice

` gangs are running scared," insisted Chief Supt Dave Keller at the start of the meeting.He is credited with building strong relationships between the police and the community in Moss Side and Hulme. Officers have even been applauded as they carry out raids - a scene unthinkable five years ago.But there are still parts of Manchester and Old Trafford where young people see gang life as their only choice. Those drawn to this way of life are getting younger and their allegiances more chaotic. It is no longer just about men controlling the drug business, it's about boys playing around with guns.But Operation Cougar is having a surprising impact. Gang related incidents and the level of general crime in the area has declined. Senior officers describe its effects as `staggering'.Chief Supt Keller's team came up with the idea of tapping into child protection legislation after becoming con- cerned that boys associated with gangs were getting younger.Chief Supt Keller heads the weekly meeting of top officers, known as `Gold Command', at Longsight Police station which discusses progress. The determination to deal with the problem means involving parents, social services, community groups, schools -as well as the more typical police techniques.During the meeting a report suggests that the new tactic of speaking to teenagers at home with their parents is leaving youngsters confused. They feel it's `not cool' to be taken home to mummy, and it appears to be having the desired effect of keeping them off the streets.Parents, initially suspicious, are now `incredibly supportive'. This gentle approach doesn't work on its own. The number of officers around has increased, the number of `stop and searches' has gone up. There are more armed officers on patrol, and more than 300 search warrants have been executed.The knock-on effect is that the police also disrupting the drugs trade - £50,000 worth of heroin was seized last month as well as guns and ammunition.

On the wall of Chief Supt Keller's office is a copy of an M.E.N. front page which show the faces of 55 people shot dead in Greater Manchester. He says: "When I look at those faces it reminds me of the job I have to do."

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look for a suspect in a deadly shooting at a local park

Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers continue to look for a suspect in a deadly shooting at a local park. They say children were playing when it happened. Residents plan to meet today to talk about the violence.According to residents in one Northside community and police, someone shot a 15-year-old Wednesday night. Police found the teen in the parking lot at Panama Park around 7 o'clock. Paramedics took him to the hospital where he died. Authorities do not have a suspect. They still have many questions about the shooting. They do not know if it was random or if someone targeted the victim. At the time of the shooting, people were on the basketball court and kids were playing in the park. Police say when shots were fired, those on the court ran. They were able to talk with a few people.
The head of the Neighborhood Watch Program in the area said, "There are always children playing." She says she grew up in the Panama Park area. She has four kids and has seen the changes. She says it's sad kids can't even go out in the park and play.The community is invited to a Neighborhood Watch meeting tonight at 7 at the Charlie Joseph Center on Buffalo Avenue. Residents will be able to talk about the shooting and ways to make sure the neighborhood is safe.As for the deadly shooting, police have not released the victim's name. They need your help.

dispute over a woman may have led to the shooting death of a 49-year-old Birmingham man

dispute over a woman may have led to the shooting death of a 49-year-old Birmingham man Tuesday night, the victim's brother said. The shooting happened in the 3600 block of 42nd Avenue North at 9:33 p.m. North Precinct officers found Roderick Monday in the street and he was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police. Jones Davis Monday said he happened to see the man he believes killed his brother earlier that evening. On Wednesday morning, Monday said a friend told him the man had been walking around the neighborhood. "I heard they got into it about some woman and some licks were passed," Monday said. "Then the guy went and got a gun."Monday said he and his brother, a handyman who did roofing work, have lived in the Harriman Park community since 1963. The death of his brother is worsened by the fact that Monday will accompany his mother to the funeral of his 95-year-old uncle in Montgomery today. "All this stuff is senseless," Monday said. "I used to be out in the streets myself, but now I'm just trying to do what the Lord wants me to do." Monday was the city's 27th homicide victim of 2008. There had been 19 homicides this time last year.

Police believe Ramel Ramos shot and killed Carlos Vasquez

Police believe Ramel Ramos shot and killed Carlos Vasquez in February. But Ramos was never charged with the killing because a key witness, Javon Shelton, could not be located. Now sources close to the case say federal authorities may launch their own investigation. They will be able to cross state lines to try to find Shelton, who is from New Jersey.If charges are brought in the case, the killer could face capital murder charges.

early morning shooting outside The Palomino nightclub

City police are investigating an early morning shooting outside The Palomino nightclub at 2869 Owen Drive.It happened between 2 and 2:30 a.m. in the club’s parking lot, a police spokesman said.The identity of the victim was not available.No charges have been filed, the spokesman said.

Deshaun Miller, 24, was taken by ambulance to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center just before 7:00 p.m. after being shot in the right shoulder

Police were investigating the second shooting of the day, Wednesday evening, after a man was shot in the 700 block of Linn Street.Deshaun Miller, 24, was taken by ambulance to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center just before 7:00 p.m. after being shot in the right shoulder and upper right back.Miller was able to tell officers that the shooter was a black male, dressed in a white shirt and jeans. He was also described as driving a silver or gray Toyota Camry.No arrests have been made in this case.

shooting broke out at 2411 Elysian Fields Ave.

Gunshot wounds to the chest have left a 28-year-old man in critical condition this morning, a spokesman for the city's Emergency Medical Services said.According to the New Orleans Police Department, the shooting broke out at 2411 Elysian Fields Ave. before 6:27 a.m.Shortly thereafter, paramedics arrived and transported the victim to University Hospital's trauma center, where he was listed in serious condition, said EMS spokesman Jeb Tate.NOPD has released no other details.At the scene, a crime scene technician placed ankle-high, bright yellow cones usually used to mark evidence around several items in front of a gas station, which sits between the Carnival Club video poker truck stop and a Lowe's home improvement store. Several people sat on buckets and on the hoods of cars as they watched the technician place the cones by a black T-shirt, a black pair of shoes and a pair of blue jeans before snapping several pictures.A pair of men in the Lowe's parking lot, who spoke Spanish and said they were waiting to get picked up for work, said they had pulled up and parked in time to see the man lying down on the sidewalk before an ambulance took him away.

14-year-old boy is accused of shooting and wounding his grandfather

14-year-old boy is accused of shooting and wounding his grandfather in East St. Louis when the man confronted him about skipping school. The boy isn't being publicly identified because he's charged as a juvenile with attempted murder.
The teenager is being held at the St. Clair County juvenile lockup, pending his trial scheduled for May 17th. Authorities say the 51-year-old grandfather plans to assist in the prosecution. Police say the boy had been skipping school and was confronted by the grandfather Friday when he again was truant. That's when investigators say the shooting happened. The shotgun hasn't been found.

arrested two suspects in the fatal shooting of a Best Western clerk during a robbery early Monday.

Fort Worth police have arrested two suspects in the fatal shooting of a Best Western clerk during a robbery early Monday.Police responded to the hotel in the 6500 block of Interstate 35W after a guest found the body of the victim, Michael Myers, 59.Myers was shot three times, once in the neck and twice in the chest

worst mass killings in Chicago Anthony Scales Jr., Donovan Richardson, Whitney Flowers and Rrs, three men and two women were found shot to death

Authorities would not identify the victims, but relatives said four of the dead were Anthony Scales Jr., Donovan Richardson, Whitney Flowers and Reginald Walker. They were in their 20s. The fifth victim's name was not known.In one of the worst mass killings in Chicago in years, three men and two women were found shot to death Wednesday afternoon in a ransacked South Side home.Police are investigating whether the two-story home in the 7600 block of South Rhodes was being used as a house of ill repute, a source saidThe victims were found on the first floor of the home, police said. At least one was shot in the head One of the women was nude and the other was partially clothed, sources said.Police said they did not have a motive for the shootings. But relatives of Richardson suspect the home was targeted for a robbery, possibly of his jewelry and art.Richardson lived in the home with Flowers and they had a 2-year-old son, relatives said.Her mother, Cheryl Flowers, arrived at the scene about 6 p.m. "That's my daughter, that's my daughter," she said, weeping and collapsing into the arms of a relative.She said her daughter did not show up for work at a suburban club where she is a dancer.Police said they did not know when the shootings happened. But Scales' girlfriend, April Rutherford, told the Sun-Times she was at the home at a barbecue until late Tuesday with Scales and Richardson. When she returned early Wednesday, music was blaring but the doors were locked.She went to Scales' home where she slept, then returned to the Rhodes address Wednesday afternoon with a relative of Scales.
They found a back door open and music blaring and saw the bodies inside. Rutherford said she called the police.A nearby day care center was closed and the children sent home as a precaution.The slayings were the deadliest in the city since 2003, when a gunman entered a South Side auto parts warehouse and gunned down six people before dying in a shootout with police.

Police arrested four people Wednesday night in connection with a bank robbery in which a teller pregnant with twins was shot

Police arrested four people Wednesday night in connection with a bank robbery in which a teller pregnant with twins was shot, but the suspected gunman remained at large.Four men were arrested on preliminary charges of conspiracy to commit robbery after police questioned people. At least three of those questioned were taken into custody after a raid at a home.The robbery occurred about Tuesday morning when a masked gunman entered a Huntington Bank branch, jumped over the counter screaming, shot teller Katherin Shuffield and grabbed cash from her drawer, police said.Shuffield, 30, is five months pregnant with twins and was shot in the abdomen. Her husband, Jason Shuffield, said Wednesday that she remained in critical but stable condition.Chief Michael Spears said the shooting was the most important case being worked on by city police.The men arrested were ages 25 to 33.

judge has named and shamed a Liverpool boy

A judge has named and shamed a Liverpool boy, 16, after sentencing him to five years' detention for gun crime.Judge Adrian Lyon lifted reporting restrictions identifying Kieran Farrell, of Croxteth.At Liverpool Crown Court Farrell, who was convicted at trial, was sentenced to five years for conspiring to possess a firearm, ammunition and silencer.

James Clayton Riach,Barry Gene Espadilla were arrested while police found eight firearms, 350 grams of cocaine, drug packaging paraphernalia

Two young Vancouver gangsters are facing weapons and drug charges after police raided their Yaletown apartment and found a cache of illegal guns, including one with a silencer. As more than 500 gang police specialists gathered in Vancouver last week for the 2008 Western Canada Gang Conference, investigators from the B.C. Integrated Gang Task Force, RCMP E Division Criminal Intelligence Section, National Weapons Enforcement Support Team and the Vancouver Police Department Emergency Response Team, executed a high-risk search warrant at the home in the 1200-block of Homer Street. Two residents of the suite, James Clayton Riach, 24 and Barry Gene Espadilla, 23, were arrested while police found eight firearms, 350 grams of cocaine, drug packaging paraphernalia and $22,000.00 in cash. Sgt. Shinder Kirk, gang task force spokesman, said the two men “are known to be well entrenched in the gang lifestyle, and are no strangers to police or the criminal justice system.”
Both have been detained in custody.

Rocky Pearson talked about using the gun against anyone at the residence if he needed to

Roseburg police arrested 48-year old Rocky Pearson of the Salem area after an undercover operation by Douglas Interagency Narcotics officers.
Police received a tip that Pearson was headed to a location in Douglas County to rip off a marijuana grower. Surveillance allowed police to follow his vehicle. An informant told police Pearson talked about using the gun against anyone at the residence if he needed to.
He was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon.
Pearson was arraigned in circuit court Tuesday and entered a not guilty plea. His trial date was set for June 3.

Darryl Donnell Boykin,Deandre Lamar Barnes are each charged with second-degree assault, terroristic threats, being felons in possession of a firearm

Darryl Donnell Boykin, 22, and Deandre Lamar Barnes, 24, are each charged with second-degree assault, terroristic threats, being felons in possession of a firearm and possession of a pistol without a permit.According to the criminal complaint, a patron of the Kozy Bar told police that the two men wanted $20 he owed them for crack cocaine. He said Boykin put him up against the wall and Barnes held a gun in his face and said he was going to kill him. The man broke away, ran inside the bar and told the bartender to call 911.When police arrived, the victim said Barnes tossed the gun to Boykin who hid it behind a dartboard.
According to the complaint, Barnes has been convicted of a felony drug offense in Michigan in 2006. Boykin was convicted of burglary in Arizona in 2004.In a memo to the court, Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin wrote: “Neither of the defendants has a local address. It appears as though they are in the area for the purposes of collecting debts on prior drug-related matters. There appears to be prior arrests in at least three other states.’’St. Louis County Judicial Officer Gerald Maher set bail at $50,000 for each defendant. Their next court appearance is scheduled for May 5. Both were being held this evening in the St. Louis County Jail.

Jermaine F. Harris was indicted this month on gun and second-degree murder charges

Jermaine F. Harris was indicted this month on gun and second-degree murder charges.
Henrico County police have arrested a second suspect in the violent death last year of Vincent Lamont Eldridge, who was gunned down at his apartment door.
Police said Jermaine F. Harris, 21, was arrested during a traffic stop Wednesday night. Harris, who lives in the Highland Springs area, was indicted this month on gun and second-degree murder charges in the case.Eldridge, 20, lived in the 500 block of North Laburnum Avenue. Witnesses have said that two men were involved in the May 18 shooting. At the February trial of another person charged in the case, an investigator identified Harris as the second suspect.In the February trial, however, a jury deadlocked in trying to reach a verdict against the other man, Deron M. Walker, who was 18 at the time of the shooting.
Testimony at trial included statements from a jail inmate who said Walker acknowledged involvement. But Walker's lawyer argued that descriptions of the suspects were vague and that police had failed to secure DNA evidence in the case.He also argued that the trajectory of the bullet that killed Eldridge was inconsistent with Walker's height.

Three men, one armed with a gun, attempted to force their way into a couple's home

Three men, one armed with a gun, attempted to force their way into a couple's home in the 600 block of North Raguet early Saturday, a police report stated.
A woman and her husband heard a knock on their door and the wife asked who it was, the report stated.
A man outside the door said it was "Rodney." The woman cracked open the door to see who it was and three men began to force their way inside the house, the report stated. The men said they were looking for money.
As the woman's husband helped her to push the door shut, one of the men brandished a gun through the door. The men left on foot when they learned the couple had dialed 911, the report stated.

Sgt. Chris Reyka was shot to death in Pompano Beach the key missing piece of evidence in the Reyka case: the gun that killed him.

Sgt. Chris Reyka was shot to death in Pompano Beach, one path seemed promising.It led police north past the Walgreens parking lot where Reyka was ambushed to a dead-end street in Collier City. On the map, it's called Northwest Ninth Street. On the street, it's called ''The Hole'' -- one of the last pockets untouched by progress in this community that rose from Broward County's old bean fields.For months, BSO detectives, along with agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, have been working these fields, hoping to harvest the key missing piece of evidence in the Reyka case: the gun that killed him.They've been in and out of this community because Timothy Johnson -- who police say masterminded a series of drugstore holdups that have made him a ''person of interest'' in Reyka's slaying -- called The Hole home.Johnson's attorney, Michael Gottlieb, has said his client denies any involvement in Reyka's killing.Gottlieb said circumstance, a checkered past and his siblings' alleged involvement in hiding the gun that shot Reyka are not enough to indict Timothy Johnson.''If the sheriff's office had gathered information and had probable cause to believe he was involved in the shooting, they would have arrested and indicted him for it,'' Gottlieb said.And for investigators, the lack of evidence has been frustrating.''The pattern of the drugstores fit perfectly with the crime,'' Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said recently. But, Lamberti has noted, without evidence linking Johnson to Reyka's shooting, the pattern is just coincidence.
In December, investigators believed they were close. Acting on a search warrant, police recovered three guns tied to Johnson's brother and are looking for a fourth. But they say they do not have the gun that killed Reyka.And so far, this lead, like Northwest Ninth itself, appears to be heading to a dead end.
Not too many people here want to talk about Timothy Johnson or his long criminal history. He has more than a dozen arrests on charges ranging from auto theft to armed robbery.Johnson's family would not speak to Miami Herald reporters, and in The Hole, friends would say only that Johnson is ``a good guy.''
This rough neighborhood is a stone's throw from the once notorious drive-by crack market near Northwest 18th Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, known as ``Ugly Corner.''

Thomas Elam ,Detravious Mills, charged with possession of a firearm under the age of 21 and violating South Carolina’s gun laws.

Detravious Mills, 17, of 825 Ferry St., and Thomas Elam, 19, of 413 Clark Lane, both of Anderson were arrested Monday after leading Anderson police officers on a high-speed chase along several city streets and a foot chase at River Oaks Apartments.
According to records at the Anderson City Jail, Mills is charged with possession of a firearm under the age of 21 and violating South Carolina’s gun laws. Elam, the driver of the car, is charged with criminal domestic violence, failure to stop for a blue light, grand larceny and violating the state’s gun laws, according to jail records.Anderson Municipal Court Judge Hugh Welborn listened Tuesday as Mills said he failed to complete Westside High School after being shot and Elam said he has a criminal record for gun violations and “all kinds of stuff.”
According to records at the Anderson County Clerk of Court’s office, Elam is awaiting trial with property bonds totaling $70,827 for three arrests.
On Tuesday, Officer Jeff Mosher testified that Mills has been “a victim or suspect in three gang crimes,” and his brother recently was arrested for a similar crime.
Saying that Detravious Mills was a passenger in the vehicle driven Monday by Elam, Officer Mosher called Mills a “threat to society,” saying he had no concern for public safety by discarding a loaded weapon on the grounds of an apartment complex.
Officer Brandon Surratt testified that he was one of several officers who chased both men on foot through River Oaks Apartments while children were playing.

Eric Burns,Kenneth Hawkins arrested Officers found a loaded handgun under a mattress inside Burns' house

Eric Burns, 26, was arrested at his house on the 1400 block of Riverside Drive on suspicion of shooting a gun in a dangerous manner, child endangerment, street gang participation and a parole violation, according to a Barstow Police Department report.Kenneth Hawkins, 54, was arrested at another house on the same block on suspicion of obstructing a police officer and on an outstanding warrant. Both were booked early Friday morning, according to the report.At about 12:23 a.m. Friday, police received a report that someone was breaking windows and shooting a gun on the 1400 block of Riverside Drive. Officers heard another shot fired as they arrived on scene. It was unclear whether the shot was fired at them, the report said.
Officers determined that a fight occurred between two houses on the block. After setting up a perimeter with assistance by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol, police surrounded Burns' house. They detained Burns in his back yard, along with another person who was later released. They arrested Hawkins from the neighboring house after he refused officers' orders to get on the ground, according to the report.Officers found a loaded handgun under a mattress inside Burns' house, with two infants sleeping on top of it.
A separate shooting happened on Joshua Street and Tara Street around 10:50 p.m. on Thursday night, the police report stated. A 16-year-old girl from Los Angeles County was arrested on an outstanding warrant after being seen in a vehicle believed to be involved in the shooting. Police are seeking two other men - juveniles or young adults - in connection with the shooting.Multiple people called to report the shots fired on Joshua Street and Tara Street. Witnesses told police that suspects had left the scene in a light brown Oldsmobile. Officers found a vehicle matching the description in the area and attempted to stop it, according to the report.
Police chased the car into the desert near the Robert A. Sessions Memorial Sportspark, where it was disabled after jumping a dirt embankment. Two young men fled on foot into a nearby county housing project. Police searched the area but were unable to find them.Police are not disclosing the victims or their relationship to the shooters.

Joel Gutierrez,,Franciso Cervantes.Luis Medina charged with trafficking methamphetamine, manufacturing the drug and possession of a firearm

Joel Gutierrez, 19, Franciso Cervantes, 32, and Luis Medina, 27, all of Fort Valley, were charged with trafficking methamphetamine, manufacturing the drug and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, Deese said.All three men were being held at the Peach County Law Enforcement Center in Fort Valley, the sheriff said.
The Peach County Drug Enforcement Unit and Sheriff's Emergency Response Team served a warrant and raided a mobile home at 3356 Peach County Parkway in Fort Valley. The small mobile home park is located off Ga. 49.Narcotics officers found what appeared to be the remnant of what was once a working meth lab, Deese said.
Officers also seized $1,500 in cash and a .22 caliber pistol, the sheriff said.

Jonathan Belvin Taylor spent most of 2007 in prison

Jonathan Belvin Taylor, 24, spent most of 2007 in prison after a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was released on parole in October, the state Department of Corrections said.
Taylor, a Los Angeles resident killed in the Friday night shootout when he pulled out a handgun and fired at the two officers, was convicted in 2002 for carrying a concealed firearm in a car, was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2005 for receiving

Daniel Duran,Basilio Bron charged with three counts of assault, and one count of criminal mischief.

Bradenton Police responded to an attempted robbery in the 700 block of Manatee Avenue at about 7 p.m. Friday resulting in the arrest of two men, authorities said.A grey compact vehicle with two men and a woman coming from Lakeland were following a gold SUV with three people on Manatee Avenue.A man from the car fired a BB gun at the SUV.When the SUV spotted law enforcement, they pulled over and reported the shooting.Police pursued the vehicle, resulting in 11 officers responding to the scene including a canine unit.
The two men, whose names have not been released, have been charged with three counts of assault each. The driver, Daniel Duran, 19, of Cape Coral, was also charged with fleeing to elude law enforcement. The passenger, Basilio Bron, 27, also of Cape Coral, was charged with three counts of assault, and one count of criminal mischief.

A victim was found with a gunshot wound to the leg and was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Two people were arrested in the fifth district Friday night after police heard gunshots go off in the area. D.C. Assistant Police Chief Dian Groomes said 5D unites were in the area of Saratoga when they heard gunshots on Brentwood Road. Officers said they saw two males leaving the scene in a green car. The officers followed the car and the suspects bailed out, according to police. The officers chased them down on foot and arrested both of them. Police said they recovered two guns. A victim was found with a gunshot wound to the leg and was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Friday nights arrests comes the same day Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., Assistant Police Chief Diane Groomes and Fifth District Commander Lamar Greene announced a plan to address a number of murders in the ward five area. The police department doubled the amount of officers in high-impact areas.

Thomas Lockett ,Randy Foreman arrested

After reports of shots being fired at Village Green, Bibb County deputies stopped a vehicle last week and found 2 heavily armed men, one a convicted felon. An array of guns & bottles of alcohol were visible on the seat of the SUV. Thomas Lockett & Randy Foreman, were arrested, but both bonded out of jail.

Cory Cline Charged with possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace and possession of a controlled substance

Two Grimsby men are facing weapons and drug charges after members of the Niagara Regional Police Service responded to a firearms call in an apartment complex in Grimsby. On April 14, at about 2:30 p.m. uniformed police officers responded to a complaint of a gun being fired from the seventh floor of an apartment building on Slessor Boulevard in Grimsby. Upon entering the apartment police located and seized a pellet rifle that one of the apartment occupants was allegedly using to shoot at attendees of the apartment complex. During their investigation into the alleged shooting police also discovered a large quantity of marijuana, and six people in the apartment were arrested for drug possession. Detectives from the No. 8 District Criminal Investigations Unit attended the scene and their investigation led to the
search of another apartment on the sixth floor where more marijuana and drug paraphernalia was seized.
As a result of the police investigation two men were formally charged with criminal offences.
Charged with possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace and possession of a controlled substance is Cory Cline, 23 of Grimsby.
Charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance is Terry Disher, 19, also of Grimsby.
Both men have been released from police custody with court dates of June 12.
No people were injured by the shooting. The drugs seized had an estimated street value of approximately

The suspects ''fired several shots at them with a high-powered weapon,''

A 22-year-old man sitting in a car with his girlfriend and 2-month-old baby was shot in the neck in a drive-by Tuesday, police said.A car, possibly a gold Saturn, with several men inside drove up to the couple at Northwest Second Avenue and 53rd Street.
One man got out and opened fire just before 3 p.m.
The suspects ''fired several shots at them with a high-powered weapon,'' said Napier Velazquez, a department spokesman.The victim put the car in reverse out of the area and then ran inside the nearby Chef Creole restaurant at 200 Northwest 54th St., where people called 911.The man was taken to Ryder Trauma Center in very critical condition, Velazquez said.''Given what happened, it's a miracle that the child and the girlfriend weren't hit,'' said Martha Carbana, a department spokeswoman.
Police did not have a description of the shooter or shooters and did not know a motive.

Armed with a handgun and the knowledge he was a marked man, Bandidos member Francesco "Cisco" Lenti fired five shots at the four Hells Angels

Armed with a handgun and the knowledge he was a marked man, Bandidos member Francesco "Cisco" Lenti fired five shots at the four Hells Angels surrounding him before stepping over a felled man and firing a fatal bullet.
Lenti took responsibility yesterday for the chilling snapshot of violence that erupted at a Vaughan strip club in 2006. The 60-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the shooting of Hells Angels sergeant-at-arms David (White Dread) Buchanan and the aggravated assault of then Hells Angels prospect Carlos Verrelli (now a full member) and full-patch member Dana Carnegie. Lenti will be sentenced May 12. Court heard a detailed account of the fatal shooting and the biker politics that fuelled it as Assistant Crown Attorney David Moull read an agreed statement of facts into the record. Lenti was working his job at Club Pro in Vaughan the night of the shooting. Working at the strip club for 20 years, his role was to keep drugs out of the business and to act as a peacekeeper. When Lenti came downstairs Dec. 2, 2006, at 12:53 a.m., he saw four Hells Angels members sitting in the club who quickly surrounded him and began arguing, the statement said. The Hells Angels objected to Lenti's Bandidos loyalties and the fact he was trying to establish the gang in Ontario. "Lenti said he felt threatened and that something was about to happen," the statement said. "He said he saw the butt of a gun in Mr. Verrelli's jacket." He moved to the front lobby of the club where two security cameras captured the escalating argument. Buchanan advanced on Lenti, punching him in the face and giving him a black eye. Lenti shoved Buchanan back, pulled out a 9-mm handgun from his waistband and shot Buchanan, Carnegie and Verrelli. A fourth biker took cover in a utility closet when he saw the gun. Carnegie fled the club as Buchanan and Verrelli collapsed on the lobby floor. Lenti turned his attention to Buchanan who was still alive but bleeding and trying to pull himself off the floor. "At that point Mr. Lenti shot Mr. Buchanan through his left cheek, killing him," the statement said. As Lenti made his way to the door, he fired one final shot at Verrelli. Seven shots were fired within six seconds. "At no time during the incident were any of the Hells Angels seen to be in possession of or to produce a firearm," the statement said. Lenti turned himself in the same day but his gun was never recovered. He was originally charged with second-degree murder. The statement of facts also detailed how a member of the Oshawa chapter of the Hell Angels serving as a civilian police agent came across a plot to kill Lenti for refusing to be recruited from the Bandidos in June 2006. Two Hells Angels were assigned the job of killing Lenti to stop him from expanding the Bandidos. The third biker recruited for the murder was a paid police informant. "It was proposed the agent kill Lenti and leave him in the middle of the highway in his colours," said the statement. "Lenti couldn't just disappear; he had to be found to prove a point." When police warned Lenti about the murder plot, he began carrying the gun and assured the officer delivering the message that he was keeping a low profile and watching his back.
"He felt he was a target because he was trying to get the Bandidos Motorcycle Club 'off the ground,' " the statement said. The court heard Lenti had faced danger before. In August 1995, the 35-year veteran of outlaw motorcycle gangs was aligned with Satan's Choice and starting a new club called the Diablos when he was the victim of a car bombing in his driveway. The bomb put him in hospital for several months with life-threatening injuries.

man was shot in the stomach and was taken by ambulance to Albany Medical Center.

Police were called to an alleyway on Bridge Street about six o'clock Tuesday night for a report of shots fired.Neighbors tell us it was a driveby shooting and one person was taken away by ambulence.Police tell us a man was shot in the stomach and was taken by ambulance to Albany Medical Center.
The victim of the shooting has not been identified. We do not have a report yet on his condition.The shooter fled westbound on Bridge Street.

Jonathan Belvin Taylor killed in the Friday night shootout when he pulled out a handgun and fired at the two officers

Jonathan Belvin Taylor, 24, spent most of 2007 in prison after a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was released on parole in October, the state Department of Corrections said. Taylor, a Los Angeles resident killed in the Friday night shootout when he pulled out a handgun and fired at the two officers, was convicted in 2002 for carrying a concealed firearm in a car, was sentenced Lt. Raymond Garcia was shot in the face and is recovering. to 16 months in prison in 2005 for receiving stolen property, and served seven months of a 16-month sentence for carrying a gun in 2007, county and state records show.
He also was arrested in 2004 for carrying a loaded gun. El Segundo police on Monday released more details of what led to the shooting, including the fact that both officers were already wounded when they fired the bullets that struck Taylor as he tried to escape out the lobby doors. Detective Scott O'Connor and Lt. Raymond Garcia were working an overtime shift at the movie theater. The Pacific theater chain, which operates the Beach Cities 16 on Rosecrans Avenue and Nash Street, contracts with the city to pay for the police presence on weekends.
Taylor arrived at the theater with a woman and two other couples about 20 minutes earlier to see the last showing of "Street Kings," a movie about a Los Angeles police detective played by Keanu Reeves on a quest to find the killers of his former partner. Taylor's female companion was inside the theater when he approached the guest services counter and demanded a refund, El Segundo police Lt. Bob Turnbull said. An employee denied his request because he did not have his ticket
Detective Scott O'Connor was shot in the left shoulder and is recovering. stub. It was not clear why Taylor wanted his money back, but Turnbull said movie patrons sometimes ask for refunds when a theater is filled and they are unable to sit with their companions. Had he carried the stubs, he probably would have received his money back, Turnbull said. A manager asked the officers - who were standing at the entrance to a long hallway that leads to the theaters - to intervene when Taylor became belligerent. The manager wanted Taylor removed from the lobby because he was creating a disturbance, Turnbull said. "Witnesses described his demeanor as abnormal and his physical appearance to be sweating profusely," Turnbull said.
The shooting began when the officers approached him. "As Officer O'Connor made contact with the individual, Taylor spun around and produced a handgun and just began firing," Turnbull said. About 75 to 100 people in the lobby, many buying popcorn and sodas at the concession stand, dropped to the ground or ran. "It became a chaotic scene," Turnbull said. "He fired off five or six rounds. He was at the same time trying to flee out the doors." Both officers returned fire. A bullet hit Garcia in the face, just above his lip. It broke his jaw, struck his tongue, tore his esophagus and lodged near his spine. A bullet struck O'Connor in the chest area of his bullet-proof vest. Another missed the vest and penetrated his upper left shoulder. Despite their wounds, both officers fired at Taylor, killing him. He died just outside the glass doors facing Nash Street. One bullet fired in the exchange struck a 20-year-old "innocent bystander," police said. The man was taken to a hospital with a leg wound. The investigation will try to determine whether Taylor or the officers fired the round that hit the man. Police from throughout the South Bay swarmed in, closing the theaters. Garcia and O'Connor, along with a theater security guard, had seen Taylor arrive earlier with the other couples. Police special weapons teams went from theater to theater checking patrons to determine if Taylor had acted alone.
During the search, police detained the girlfriend and the other couples, who were trying to leave even though their friend lay dead on the concrete. Officers also arrested two people after finding a discarded handgun in theater 15. The people and gun were unrelated to Taylor, Turnbull said. They were released pending more investigation. The wounded officers are recovering.
O'Connor, who received a Medal of Valor award in 2000 for rescuing three neighbors from a burning home, has been released from a hospital and is recovering at home.
Garcia, head of the department's Special Operations Division and commander of the Traffic and Animal Control Section, remained hospitalized Monday.
"He is responsive and alert, still in ICU, being monitored," Turnbull said.
Garcia received a Medal of Valor award in 2001 for preventing a woman from jumping from a freeway overpass.
"Both are very lucky," Turnbull said. "Ray is a good friend of mine - not only a colleague but a peer. Officer O'Connor is one of my investigators. This is a difficult time."

officers saw the passenger throw something out the window before they could pull the vehicle over, The item turned out to be a sawed off shotgun

Alejandro Ramirez, 26 of Parma, and Anthony Bernal, 18 of Nampa, were placed in the Canyon County jail and charged with possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, an illegal firearm, stolen property and burglary tools. They were also charged with felon in possession of a firearm and destruction of evidence.officers saw the passenger throw something out the window before they could pull the vehicle over, authorities said. The item turned out to be a sawed-off shotgun.The suspects were placed in custody while there car was searched, officers said, revealing a second loaded shotgun, ammunition for pistols and shotguns, a stun gun, a bullet proof vest, stolen property and two bandannas with a receipt from a local business.

Gunpoint home invasion in Westbury

Gunpoint home invasion in Westbury three men pushed through the front door of a residence where a 17-year-old girl was home alone, then handcuffed the girl and searched the house, the police said.
The girl's older sister, 25, came home with a male friend during the 4 p.m. burglary and they were both held at gunpoint, police said. No one was injured.
Detectives said the men rang the doorbell of the Marietta Drive home and when the girl opened the door, a man with a gun pushed through and let the other two burglars in.A police report said the burglars searched the house, but the report did not say whether they took anything.The victims saw the men escape in two cars. They drove off in a newer-model silver Nissan Maxima and an older-model green car, possibly a Nissan Maxima or Honda Accord.In addition to describing the cars, the three victims also gave the police detailed descriptions of the suspects.One suspect -- the one with the gun -- was described as a dark-skinned black male about 30 years old, 6 feet tall with heavy build; and wearing a white-collared, long-sleeved shirt with blue vertical pinstripes and embroidered letters on the left breast pocket.Another suspect was described as a light-skinned black male about 30 years old, 5 feet 6 inches, with a thin build, short-cropped hair and a dark T-shirt with unknown lettering.The third suspect was described as a dark-skinned black man about 30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches, with a medium build, wearing a dark T-shirt with unknown lettering.

Bruce Jones who's lucky to be alive after 4 laser-guided shots from the citizen's gun missed him

Bruce Jones, 26 who's lucky to be alive after 4 laser-guided shots from the citizen's gun missed him was only charged with aggravated assault and carrying a concealed weapon, and was jailed on a total of $6,000 bond on both charges.

Gregory Hughes charged with armed robbery was Gregory Hughes

8th District detectives yesterday arrested a suspect in a robbery in that same notorious 500 block of Burgundy on 3.2.08. Charged with armed robbery was Gregory Hughes, 35, a black guy, 6'1" tall, weighing 180 pounds. He was positively identified in a photo lineup by the white victim who was walking down the street at 11:25 p.m. when he was robbed by a black guy with a pistol. Hughes is being held on $100,000 bond

Officers also seized drugs, a .380-caliber handgun and $827 in cash.

Akron police said a gun violence reduction sweep resulted in the arrest of 15 people on 29 charges.The sweep was conducted by the Akron Police Department, the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives diversion and the U.S. Marshal's Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.
The charges include 14 felony arrests, 12 misdemeanor arrests and three warrant arrests.Officers also seized drugs, a .380-caliber handgun and $827 in cash.

Petro Canada gas station a male produced a hand gun

three males entered the Petro Canada gas station kiosk at 1123 Dorval Drive in Oakville. One male produced a hand gun and told the clerk to look at the ground. All three males then proceeded to open the cash register and remove an undisclosed amount of money. The three males used a garbage bag to collect a large amount of cigarettes. There were no injuries during the robbery. The suspects were seen leaving the area in dark vehicle displaying blue headlights.
Suspect 1: White, approximately 5’6", average build, wearing black baseball cap with white buttons, black bandana covering lower half of his face, dark plaid jacket with light stripes and grey jeans.
Suspect 2: White, approximately 5’6," heavy build, wearing a white baseball cap with black “NY” on the front left of the cap, black bandana covering the face and lime green t-shirt.
Suspect 3: Not-white, approximately 5’6", heavy build, wearing a white baseball cap with an unknown design on the front, cap was very low over the top portion of his face with a dark bandana and white design covering the lower part of his face, white t-shirt.

Since the murders of Mark Moloney and James Cronin six homes had just been hit by machine gun fire

The garda crack squad, the Emergency Response Unit (ERU), were drafted into Limerick over two weeks ago to quell the trouble and augment armed patrols and checkpoints.
Six homes had just been hit by machine gun fire after a stolen car with a false taxi sign fixed to the roof entered St Mary's Park. The Collopy gang were the intended targets but neighbouring adults and children had to dive for cover.
Residents in socially deprived estates believed that the arrival of the ERU would put a halt to gun crime. However, since the ERU arrived, the gangland violence has been defiantly stepped up.Drugs well in excess of €1m have been seized in the past three weeks. Firearms and ammunition have been seized on a regular basis in waste ground or at the rear of homes.
Crime and gang-related activity in Limerick is rarely out of the headlines, but it exploded this week.
Since the murders of Mark Moloney (40) and James Cronin (20), every person in Limerick has been made well aware of their city's lethal underworld.

Chief Superintendent Willie Keane has appealed for the gangs to step back from the brink but the violence shows no signs of subsiding.

A man had to brought to the ground by a taser gun by ERU officers on Thursday night. He was subsequently found to be armed with a loaded Glock 9mm handgun.

Yesterday, less than two hours after mourners made their way home from the grave of James Cronin, Garda reinforcements had to race to Delmege Park, Moyross, after firemen tending to a derelict house fire were stoned by a gang of youths in broad daylight.

A black week for Limerick. Now the debate is about whether the worst of the violence has been left behind, or if further horror lies around the corner.

Lamont McCray, 30, of Oakwood Road in Kingstree is charged with possession of a stolen gun

Lamont McCray, 30, of Oakwood Road in Kingstree is charged with possession of a stolen gun, Ford said.The father of a boy who police say brought a loaded gun on a school bus is charged in connection with the case, Kingstree Police Chief Robert Ford said.The 13-year-old Kingstree Elementary School student brought the gun on the bus Tuesday afternoon, pointed at a 7-year-old girl and threatened to kill her, Ford said.Police ran a background check on the gun soon after the incident and discovered the .9 mm semi-automatic pistol was reported stolen in Laurens County, Ford said. The suspect told police he didn’t know the gun was stolen.McCray turned himself into police Friday and has cooperated with investigators, Ford said.
McCray appeared before a judge for a bond hearing Friday afternoon where he posted a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

Stun gun used to subdue two people at a Westchester County wedding reception

Police are acknowledging they used a stun gun to subdue two people at a Westchester County wedding reception after a ruckus erupted over the band. The two _ the groom and the couple's daughter _ were arrested at Saturday's event, as was the bride.
Port Chester Police Lt. James Ladeairous says officers followed department guidelines allowing them to use a Taser stun gun when they can't otherwise get control of a suspect. The 21-year-old daughter says she and her father were left with bruises. Both were arrested on misdemeanor charges of obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. The bride was arrested on a felony criminal mischief charge. The daughter says the couple was legally married 22 years ago but had a long-delayed church wedding Saturday.

One officer was shot in the jaw, another in the shoulder

One officer was shot in the jaw, another in the shoulder, police Lt. Walt Krumbach said. Both were taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and are said to be stable. Neither of the injuries are believed to be life threatening.Two police officers wounded in a shootout at a movie theater that killed a suspect are recovering, authorities said Saturday.The wounded officers' names have not been released.
The shooting broke out Friday night at the Pacific Beach Cities Stadium 16. Officers had gone in to escort a young man out and he opened fire. Police shot and killed the gunman outside the theaters.Officers searched in and around the theater for companions of the gunman and took two men into custody at a nearby parking structure.
At first, police said the pair were being considered "persons of interest" in the case. But authorities later said the pair are not believed to have been involved in the shooting.It wasn't immediately clear what triggered the shootout, which a witness told KNX radio started inside one of the theaters and continued outside.
Video taken from a news helicopter shows a man being wheeled out of the theater complex on a gurney.

David Welker is accused of raping a woman in broad daylight at a Wal-Mart parking lot located on John Young Parkway after forcing her into her car

A 24-year-old man held a gun to the head of a 15-month-old girl while he raped her mother for 25 minutes in a Wal-Mart parking lot, according to an arrest report.
David Welker is accused of raping a woman in broad daylight at a Wal-Mart parking lot located on John Young Parkway after forcing her into her car at gunpoint.
The gun was placed against the child as Welker raped the woman twice, Thursday's arrest report said.The document also said "he ordered her to dump out her purse. He then took her cellular phone, her debit card" and $70 in cash.Crimeline tips led detectives to Welker after photos apparently showing him at an ATM were released to the public earlier in the week."This is huge," Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Rich Mankewich said. "Obviously, he caused fear in a lot of people over the last day and a half. We needed him off the streets."....Deputies said Welker was sitting around the Wal-Mart looking for a target before the attack."We have him on video up to a half-hour before this crime occurred just sitting in front of the store looking around, checking out his surroundings, then he chose his victim that he wanted," Mankewich said.Welker robbed the woman, locked her in the trunk of her vehicle and drove off in a sport utility vehicle, deputies said. The woman escaped from the trunk, drove home and called 911, deputies said.....Meanwhile, Local 6 has learned that Welker has been arrested 27 times before being taken into custody in connection with the Wal-Mart attack.When he was 18-years-old, he was arrested twice on theft charges.Other charges include battery on an elderly or disabled person and grand theft auto. But this is Welker's first sex crime arrest.

Violence Suppression Team was formed by municipal police forces and the RCMP after the unprecedented gangland slaughter of six people

Violence Suppression Team was formed by municipal police forces and the RCMP after the unprecedented gangland slaughter of six people in a Surrey highrise last fall.
Since then, the team has pulled over gangsters in 2,334 cars, some multiple times, and seized 20 guns, Robinson told reporters on the last day of the Western Canada Gang Conference.The street-level uniformed team has also made 34 arrests, laid 52 charges and seized five sets of body armour since its formation Nov. 14.But more important, Robinson said, are the 1,234 "high-value intelligence reports" the team has developed. These aid beat cops in the areas where gangsters party."It is highly successful," said Robinson, who heads the team. "The highest priority we have as a police community in Canada right now is the gang problem."Metro Vancouver has been plagued by gangland slayings in recent months, many of them unsolved. Brazen shootings have taken place in restaurants, outside nightclubs and on busy streets.Robinson said the benefit of the conference, which brought together 560 investigators from across Canada, was the sharing of intelligence and policing strategies, particularly because of the fluidity of gangs.Supt. John Robin, head of the B.C. Integrated Gang Task Force, said most of the 129 gangs operating in the province have shifted demographically. They have become multi-ethnic.




Robin confirmed that police here have seen several cases in which members of violent Central American gangs, like the Mara Salvatrucha 13, have settled in B.C. and become involved in criminal activity.The Vancouver Sun revealed this week that a refugee claimant living in Surrey, Jose Francisco Cardoza Quinteros, admitted to the Canada Border Service Agency after arriving last September that he had been a member of MS-13, killed at least four people and was present for the beheading of a woman by a member of his gang.Robin said police were aware of Quinteros' presence in the community.He said most of the MS-13 members who have shown up in B.C. are not working together as a group here."What we are seeing is individual gang members that are tied back and have ties back to gangs in the United States, gangs in Central America that are involved in criminal activity in Canada," Robin said.
Robin said investigators work closely with the CBSA to share intelligence about the cross-border movements of suspected gangsters and criminals like those in the Mara Salvatrucha.He said he was pleased gang specialists from Honduras and Guatemala attended this week's conference and shared their strategies with police here, as well as intelligence about gang members, who number more than 150,000 in that region and are trickling into Canada."It has been a growing trend over the last number of years," Robin said of the notorious gangsters showing up in B.C.
"We want to make sure that it doesn't develop into a huge significant problem here in Canada. We have enough problems with gang violence as it is."

Christopher Stella raised his off-duty Glock 9 mm pistol to his head and shot himself, according to law-enforcement sources.

It was unclear why Christopher Stella, of Great Kills, took his own life, and law-enforcement sources said it appeared he left no note.
Stella first smashed his own car into two parked vehicles at the King Kullen supermarket in Greenridge Plaza at about 3:30 a.m., cops said.
He then raised his off-duty Glock 9 mm pistol to his head and shot himself, according to law-enforcement sources. "He was a good kid, quiet kid, no problems," said one colleague in the 72nd Precinct in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Officials also noted that Stella was not under departmental investigation.

investigation into the conduct of a Thai policeman who shot dead Leo Del Pinto

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej today (Thursday) formally ordered an investigation into the conduct of a Thai policeman who shot dead a Canadian tourist and injured a second.The Thai Premier, in his role as the Chairman of the Department of Special Investigations, ordered the DSI to formally investigate charges of murder and attempted murder.The move comes in the midst of allegations that police in Pai, a picturesque tourist village in northern Thailand, deliberately attempted to cover up the actions of one of their own officers, whom they had to investigate.
The case was taken up by the Thai Human Rights Commission. Commissioner Saisuree Kosolnavin and a team found evidence that completely contradicted the investigation conducted by Police Colonel Sombat Panya of the local Pai police.Colonel Panya claimed that Canadian Leo Del Pinto, 24, from Calgary and Carly Reisig, 24, from Chilliwack, B.C. had made an unprovoked attack on Police Sergeant Uthai Dechawiwat after he broke up a fight between them in January this year.
Uthai, he claimed, shot in self defence as he fell to the ground. His automatic hada hair trigger.The police story was subsequently published in the local press and the wire stories and transmitted worldwide.Police further said that nevertheless Sgt Uthai had been charged with murder and attempted murder but on investigation there was no court record of such charges.Witnesses and forensic evidence examined by Thailand’s leading pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasund however totally contradicted the police story. Forensic evidence showed that the policeman shot down into Del Pinto’s head. Witnesses said that Sergeant Uthai pistol whipped Ms Reisig before shooting her under her left breast.The conduct of the police had earlier been referred by the TNHRC to the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission.
Dr. Saisuree said: “This development is very encouraging. The process has already started as Ms. Reisig and another witness have been allowed to give evidence in court.”

We had heard he had multiple weapons in the residence, including a high-powered rifle and sawed-off shotgun," Commander Lt. Dino Sgambellone s

Jesse Bishop, 22, of 3224 Park Avenue West, was arrested late Wednesday night after the METRICH Enforcement Unit raided his house. He was charged with felony possession of drugs.METRICH planned to raid Bishop's residence Tuesday night, but he wasn't home. Ontario police had contacted the regional drug task force after getting reports of drug trafficking and weapons at Bishop's residence.
"I don't want people to think it's a safe haven," Ontario police Chief Rodney Smith said. "We're going to continue to hunt where these places are at and try to take them down."
Bishop's case presented a challenge for local authorities."We had heard he had multiple weapons in the residence, including a high-powered rifle and sawed-off shotgun," METRICH Commander Lt. Dino Sgambellone said.
METRICH detectives, Ontario police and the Allied Special Operations Response Team convened Wednesday at WMFD-TV's parking lot on Park Avenue West, just east of Bishop's home, while awaiting word on Bishop's movements. The suspect was in Mansfield. METRICH detectives Perry Wheeler and Dawn Brown called Sgambellone on his BlackBerry with an update."At least we know where he's at," Sgambellone said. "Keep me posted."A couple of Ontario police officers got out of their vehicles and talked while things were in a holding pattern. Soft rock from WVNO played on the outside speakers.The ASORT members opened the back of their van, battering rams in hand. They later got out to stretch their legs. Gary Foster prepared for the possibility they might not be needed."It's kind of disappointing," he said. "Oh, well. You don't always get to play."Just before 11, Mansfield police officers pulled Bishop over on U.S. 30 for a traffic violation."He had some weed (marijuana) and a bunch of money on him," Sgambellone said. "We're going to bring him back here and talk to him and then determine if we need (ASORT)."
Police recovered a bag of marijuana and $1,826 from Bishop's pocket, as well as 369 grams of marijuana in the trunk of his 1998 Cadillac. Bishop's explanation?
"You got me," he said.
Authorities determined they would take Bishop back to the house before entering. They had heard someone was in the residence, along with a dog.
"Given the circumstances, it was a safer play," Sgambellone said. "He's saying nobody's in there, and the dog is in a cage.
"We're not just going to lolligag up to the residence, but the threat level is not as high as we initially anticipated."
Sgambellone, looking like a baseball umpire making a home run call, waived his right index finger in the air to signal it was time to move.
As ASORT gained entry, little traffic went past on the starlit night, highlighted by a crescent moon. A sign at neighboring Faith Baptist Church read, "Everybody is somebody that Jesus died for."
An outside dog barked at police, while a dog chained on a side porch didn't appear aggressive. Wheeler greeted the dog as he walked out back.

David Freeman was killed while the driver of the car suffered a minor neck wound

Police say 34-year-old David Freeman, of McKees Rocks, was killed while the driver of the car suffered a minor neck wound. The car crashed into a fire hydrant as the driver tried to escape the gun fire and another passenger was also hurt.The driver and passenger have been treated and released from a hospital.Police are still looking for whoever fired at least six shots from a silver Cadillac about 2 a.m. Friday.Police are not saying whether they have any suspects.

shooting death of a 39-year-old man

Police in Sanpete County are investigating the shooting death of a 39-year-old man Thursday night. Police in Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles southeast of Nephi, are investigating the 11:30 p.m. shooting that left one man dead, according to the sheriff's office. More information was expected to be released later today. Mount Pleasant police Chief Jim Wilberg could not immediately be reached for comment, but Sanpete County Sheriff's Department officials confirmed the shooting probe was under way.

Wayne Jackson, was fatally shot in the head

Wayne Jackson, 23, was fatally shot in the head on the South Side as a co-worker was dropping him off after work shortly after 3 a.m. in the 8500 block of South Saginaw Avenue. Jennifer Collins, 22, tried to escape the barrage of bullets by climbing into the back seat but was shot in the leg. She later was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition. The two male assailants were wearing ski masks and driving a white Ford Explorer

Senmeon Williams was shot in the head outside a Racine grocery store

Man who was shot in the head outside a Racine grocery store has died at a suburban Milwaukee hospital.Racine police say 23-year-old Senmeon Williams died at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital Thursday night, about 11 hours after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting outside Racine Supermarket.Witnesses tell police Williams was at Five Corners Tavern when he decided to run across the street to the store, then was hit by a gunshot.Investigators say they're looking for two male suspects who were in a four-door gray car.

Arrest of an armed man in Limerick city 46 year old who was arrested is alleged to have been in possession of an automatic pistol

Gardai have described last night's arrest of an armed man in Limerick city as significant.A taser gun was used to stun the 46 year old in the Rhebogue area of the city around 10.45pm.He is suspected to have links to one of Limerick`s criminal gangs. It`s the first time a taser gun has been used by gardai.Members of the Emergency Response Unit suspected the man was carrying a firearm as he walked along a road in Rhebogue last night and used a taser gun to subdue him.It`s designed for use in cases where a lethal weapon would otherwise have been used and shoots small darts which deliver an electric shock, designed to stun a person, while
not harming them permanently.
Many Limerick people on the streets believe the use of this type of weapon is necessary.The 46 year old who was arrested is alleged to have been in possession of an automatic pistol and two ammunition magazines.
Gardai are continuing to question him at Henry Street Garda Station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

Viktor Bout "Merchant of Death," has charges dropped

Thai police dropped charges Wednesday against a Russian man accused of being one of the world's most prolific black market arms dealers, saying they will proceed with hearings to extradite him to the United States.Viktor Bout, a 41-year-old Russian, faces several counts in the U.S. of "conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization" for allegedly arranging to sell and transport weapons, including portable surface-to-air missiles to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.Lt. Gen. Phongphan Chayaphan, chief of the Thai police's Crime Suppression Division, said Bout would remain detained pending extradition hearings, which he estimated would take 60 days.Bout's lawyer in Thailand, Lak Nitiwatanavichan, said he would fight extradition.
Bout, who has been called the "Merchant of Death," was arrested March 6 at a Bangkok hotel after a sting operation in which undercover U.S. agents pretended to be arms buyers from the Colombian rebels.He could face 15 years in prison on the U.S. charge. Thai authorities had held him on a charge of using the country as a base to negotiate a weapons deal with terrorists, for which he could have been imprisoned for 10 years.Regarded as one of the world's most wanted arms traffickers, Bout's alleged list of customers since the early 1990s includes African dictators and warlords, including former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and both sides of the civil war in Angola. In the process, he has been accused of breaking several U.N. arms embargoes.
Bout, who was purportedly the model for the arms dealer portrayed by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 movie "Lord of War," has denied the current allegations against him and any criminal activities in the past.Bout's lawyer Lak said the U.S. charges were political in nature and did not represent a criminal case because the Colombian government is fighting the FARC rebels over differences of ideology. He also said the conflict in Colombia is outside of U.S. jurisdiction.Extradition treaties between nations generally do not allow turning over suspects in cases of a political nature.

Lak said the Thai attorney general's office was awaiting more documents from the United States before officially forwarding the extradition case to court.

Six men in police custody after a member of the public reporting that shots had been fired in the vicinity of Miss Daisy Lane.

Six men are currently in police custody and two firearms and a car have been seized following an operation carried out in West Bay . Officers investigating the Saturday morning shooting in Miss Daisy Lane made the arrests soon after 2pm. The men aged between 21 and 38 have been arrested on suspicion of possessing unlicensed firearms, suspicion of discharging an unlicensed firearm and consumption of a controlled drug. Officers from the Uniform Support Group, West Bay and George Town CID, West Bay Uniform Department and K9 carried out the raid at an address in Town Hall Road where the men, the firearms and the vehicle were located.
The arrests relate to an incident which occurred at around 6am on Saturday morning in the area known locally as ‘Log Wood’, West Bay. The 911 Emergency Communications Centre received a call from a member of the public reporting that shots had been fired in the vicinity of Miss Daisy Lane. Officers responded and upon arrival found that a 25-year-old man had sustained some minor injuries to his leg, however, he did not require hospital treatment. It appears that a number of shots had been fired at the victim’s house while he was inside. A 23-year-old man previously arrested in relation to this case remains in police custody. “Crimes which involve violence and firearms are a serious concern to us,” said Area Commander, Chief Inspector Angelique Howell. “These arrests should act as a warning to others that we will remain relentless in our efforts to remove weapons from the streets.”

Gunshots in the Calgary's northeast

Police responded to several reports of gunshots in the Calgary's northeast.
Duty inspector Dave Wood said one man was found in the alley behind Malvern Drive N.E., in Marlborough Park, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition.Witnesses reported two vehicles fleeing the area. Wood said it was too soon to say whether the shooting was related to one that happened early Sunday morning in the northwest.Officers were on-scene late into the evening, cordoning off the area where the shooting occurred, collecting evidence and talking to witnesses.

Waehabae Tuankama was shot dead by a pillion

An informant for the authorities was killed in a drive-by shooting here late Sunday night, police siad.Police said Waehabae Tuankama, 15, was shot dead by a pillion rider while he was riding his motorcycle home in Narathiwat's Muang district at about 12:10 am.Police said Waehabae was trailed after by a motorcycle after his work at a karaoke bar. The pillion rider fired a 9mm pistol at him ten times.Waehabae was an informant for the authorities, police said.

critical condition after he was shot in the chest in a drive by shooting in Yakima

A man is in critical condition after he was shot in the chest in a drive by shooting.
It happened on the 400 block of East Beech Street in Yakima.Police say the victim was conscious when they arrived on the scene, but was not cooperating with them.
He said he believed the shooter was driving a gray or blue van.Police say the victim is a known gang member and his house was heavily tagged with gang graffiti.

Fidel Jimenez was caught in gun fire while driving down Blackstone and Herndon

Fidel Jimenez was caught in gun fire while driving down Blackstone and Herndon the night of March 23rd. Two suspects were fighting when gun fire erupted and Jimenez was shot around 11:41pm, according to Fresno Police.
Officers found Jimenez in the parking lot on the 6700 block of N. Blackstone suffered from a gunshot wound. Jimenez was rushed to the Community Regional Medical Center after being shot and crashing into a business at the intersection. On Friday, April 4th, he died from the gunshot wound.
Twenty- one-year-old Luciano Lopez and a 17- year- old juvenile were arrested Friday night in their homes for the deadly shooting.
This is the tenth murder in Fresno this year. Officials say this time last year, there were eleven homicides.

Juan Silva was struck in the foot and buttocks before reaching cover. His brother also was hit.

Salinas police said Juan Silva, 20, and his 14-year-old brother apparently were standing between two vehicles in the 1200 block of Paseo Grande, talking to their father when a green Honda drove by, made a U-turn and stopped in front of the residence.
Police said a passenger in the right-rear seat pulled a handgun and began shooting. Silva was struck in the foot and buttocks before reaching cover. His brother also was hit. The brothers were transported to a Salinas hospital by a relative.

Otis "Cowboy" Carden Cache of weapons that included the launcher, fully automatic rifles, an "elephant gun," and handguns was put on display

A cache of weapons that included the launcher, fully automatic rifles, an "elephant gun," and handguns of various sizes and shapes was put on display today by the sheriff and law enforcement officers from other jurisdictions that participated in the nearly year-old probe.The investigative team focused its attention on Otis "Cowboy" Carden, 26, and Terry "Ox" Gilmore, 34, who are accused of being the ringleaders. Sgt. Ian Floyd said everyone else arrested worked for these two.
"Some stole vehicles," Floyd said. "Others broke into houses and stole guns."The investigation began last summer after a vehicle theft, he said. From there, it led to drugs and guns and stolen property.Judd said there was no evidence the ring was smuggling guns.The ring bought and sold stolen goods and dealt mainly in methamphetamine, he said. Although the public was undisturbed by the ring, Judd said members would be very violent to those who didn't pay debts or tried to rip them off.
Judd said victims were fearful of coming forward."One guy had the pudding beat out of him," Judd said. "This is one of the more violent groups we've encountered recently. They were violent toward each other and those who dealt drugs and stole property if they didn't pay up."Three members of the ring remained at large, he said."But our guys are coming after you," he said.
The ring made money off drugs and the sale of stolen property. The guns mostly were bought and sold among the members, Judd said, and were used for protection and intimidation.The origins of the bomb launcher remained a mystery, he said. The ring member who procured it said he bought it for $100, Judd said, "and sold it to a ring leader buddy for $400. But we don't know where it came from."
Charges against those arrested included dealing in stolen property, drug possession and dealing, and theft.Carden was arrested Jan. 23 in Osceola County by the U.S. Marshals with 11 grams of meth and $9,000 in his possession, authorities said. He was charged by a federal grand jury this week with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun.Gilmore, who authorities said described himself as the "muscle" of the organization, was arrested Feb. 8 on charges including grand theft auto, resisting an officer without violence and drug possession.Thirty people have been arrested since last summer, identified as part of the Carden organization.They are:
Francine Medders, 26, of 320 Wilder Road, Lot 2, Lakeland. Charges include burglary and grand theft auto.
Darrin Embry, 18, of 3011 Ernest Drive, Apt. D, Auburndale. Charges include possession of methamphetamine.
Michael Windley, 35, no known address. Charges include burglary and grand theft auto, resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license.
Douglas Dawson Jr., 22, of 28380 Foot Road, Bartow. Charges include burglary and battery.
Douglas Dawson Sr., 48, of 836 Morning View Court, Lakeland. Charges include possession of methamphetamine.
Roger Shane Parker, 38, 4025 Crews View Lane, Lakeland. Charges include possession of methamphetamine, carrying a concealed firearm, tampering with evidence, maintaining a vehicle for drug use, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license and two violations of probation.
Shaun O'Neal, 21, of 2203 Shirth Road, Auburndale. Charges include possession of
methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Garrett Wiley, 20, of 1645 Merrick Road, Lakeland. Charges include possession of
drugs without a prescription, possession of methamphetamine, resisting an officer without violence, petty theft, driving with a suspended license, resisting an officer without violence, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Nathan Staricek, 21, of 133 Bergen Circle, Auburndale. Charges include possession of
methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, petty theft.
Kathy Wiley, 49, of 1911 Jupiter St., Lakeland. Charges include possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
William Watson, 30, of 806 Even House Road, Winter Haven. Charges include burglary, grand theft auto, grand theft, petty theft, driving with a suspended license and violation of probation.
Bandy Nesbitt, 20, of 5508 N.W. Oak Ave., Bartow. Charges include driving with a suspended license, having no car registration and forgery/altering of vehicle registration.
Leisha Harris, 44, of 9920 Steven Drive, Polk City. Charges include possession of
methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and having an open container in a car.
Frank McGrath, 40, of 307 N.W. Eighth St., Mulberry. Charges include possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, grand theft auto and violation of probation.
January Carter, 29, of 2002 Fish Hatchery Road, Lakeland. Charges include trafficking
more than 14 grams of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine near a school with intent to sell near, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of drugs without a prescription.
Brian Oyer, 24 (deceased), of Steven Drive, Lakeland. Charges include possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license. Oyer was killed in a motorcycle crash Dec. 3.
Brandi Rewis, 28, of 3544 Raintree Circle, Lakeland. Charges include fraud, driving with a suspended license and violation of probation.
Michael Juilcher, 36, of 4230 Lewellyn Road, Lakeland. Charges include possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drugs without a prescription and two counts of driving with a suspended license.
Lance Johnson, 26, of 900 N.W. Ninth Ave., Mulberry. Various charges include grand theft auto and driving with a suspended license.
Steven Phillips, 28, of Winter Haven. Charges include grand theft auto, resisting an officer without violence, fleeing to elude and driving with a suspended license.
Brandi Burnson, 26, of 1638 Taylor St., Auburndale. Charges include possession
of methamphetamine.
Lenna Lott, 32, of 2232 E. Magnolia St., Lakeland. Charges include a nonmoving
traffic violation of failure to notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles of a change of address.
Candace White, 24, of 2036 Meadow Oak Circle, Polk City. Charges include
possession of methamphetamine, grand theft auto, weapons violations, and multiple
violations of probation.
Susan Harper, 35, of Lakeland. Charges include possession of methamphetamine, possession of drugs without a prescription and failure to register a vehicle.
Michael Ryals, 30, of 1404 E Francis St., Polk City. Charges include possession o
of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jasmine Luker, 19, of 2811 Old Medulla Road, Lakeland. Charges include
possession of methamphetamine, possession of drugs without a prescription and possession of marijuana, and multiple violations of probation.
Charles Turlington, 22, of 1280 E. Summerlin Drive, Bartow. Charges include possession of methamphetamine and five counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
The following have warrants out for their arrests:
Lance Johnson, 26, of 900 N.W. Ninth Ave., Mulberry, has warrants for his arrest on charges of armed burglary, grand theft, dealing in stolen property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Bryan White, 26, of 1216 Windsong Drive, Lakeland is wanted on a violation of probation charge.
Jessica Carden, 25, of 106 Colonial Drive, Auburndale, is wanted on a violation of probation charge.

Randy A. Crosby allegedly fired two shots inside a home in greater Bluffton

Randy A. Crosby triggered a manhunt when he allegedly fired two shots inside a home in greater Bluffton during a domestic dispute Monday faces more drug charges -- and now a shooting charge -- after he was arrested twice in the same day. Two of the home's other occupants also face drug charges. Less than a half-day after being released from the county jail Wednesday on a marijuana possession charge, 21-year-old Randy A. Crosby was arrested following a traffic stop and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of narcotics, simple possession of marijuana, driving under suspension and failure to surrender a driver's license.
He also was charged with discharging a firearm into a dwelling, which stemmed from the incident in the Mayfair section of Woodbridge on Monday. Earlier in the week, the Sheriff's Office said it did not have enough evidence to charge Crosby in connection with the shooting. That changed after officers recovered the gun, according to authorities. No one was injured in the incident, described by police as a domestic argument that ended with the gunshots. The manhunt Monday afternoon led to four Buckwalter area schools being locked down. Students were delayed from going home, and extracurricular activities were canceled. Two residents of the Mayfair Drive home where the alleged domestic dispute occurred were also charged during the traffic stop. Cory L. Avery, 17, was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm by a person under 21 and simple possession of marijuana. An 18-year-old woman was charged with misdemeanor simple possession of marijuana.
The traffic stop was the result of information obtained by the Beaufort-Jasper Multi-Agency Drug Task Force that indicated a home on Lake Linden Drive was being used to store and sell illegal drugs, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. Crosby lives on that street, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center's online log.
Drugs were seized from the residence and that part of the investigation is ongoing, with additional arrests and charges expected, the Sheriff's Office said.
Avery was released Thursday on $16,000 bond. Crosby's bond had not yet been set Thursday on the shooting charge. The bond for his drug charges is $16,446. He was in jail Thursday night.

Deandre Anderson, an eighth grader from Allapattah Middle School was shot and killed

Deandre Anderson, an eighth grader from Allapattah Middle School was shot and killed in a Northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood Thursday was the victim of a vicious episode of road rage, police said.According to police, Deandre and another young man were driving north on Northwest Seventh Avenue near 112th Street when they changed lanes and struck a gray, late-model Ford Thunderbird.Deandre and his companion tried to speed away from the accident, but the driver of the Thunderbird gave chase.It was not immediately clear which young man was behind the wheel of the maroon compact car carrying Deandre. The car broke down a few blocks away, on Northwest 114th Street near 11th Avenue.The teen jumped out of the car and tried to run. He didn't make it far.According to police, someone inside the Thunderbird fired multiple shots and killed Deandre. His body was found in a yard six houses from where his car broke down. Deandre's companion was not hurt.Police were searching Friday for the shooter or shooters. They were also looking for a gray, late-model Thunderbird with tinted windows and damage to the driver's side.''He did a few things and got into some trouble, but really, he's just a boy,'' said Anderson's aunt, Leta Middleton, on Friday. ``If you looked at him, he looks just like a boy. . . . People just gun happy. I guess they don't have a conscience anymore.''Deandre lived with his mother, Mary Simmons, in Liberty City, just a few miles from the shooting scene.Naomi Pierre-Daut, who lives across the street from where Anderson's body was found, said Thursday's shooting was frightening.''I heard seven shots so quick,'' said Pierre-Daut, who has lived on the block for seven years. ``I'm very scared to stay. I will put my house up for sale.''Mary Simmons grieved for her son with family members Friday at her apartment in Liberty City.''I just want to know why -- what was the reason?'' Simmons said. ``He was a child, a child, a child! No matter what they do, you can't do something like this to them.''

Detective Cpl. Steven Andrus results linked Andrus' duty weapon to some of the casings, police said

Detective Cpl. Steven Andrus, a six-year veteran of the Gary Police Department, will remain on paid suspension for the duration of the investigation, said Cmdr. Samuel Roberts.Andrus and at least three other Gary officers, as well as a fourth who recently got another job, are suspects in the March 18 drive-by at a house in Portage.Portage police allege that the shooting occurred hours after Andrus, Gary Patrolman Daryl Gordon and others got into a fight outside in a bar in nearby Hobart, where Andrus lives, after they had been drinking on St. Patrick's Day.Gordon suffered two black eyes and may have been hospitalized when an extended cab pickup truck drove past a Portage man's house and someone fired several shots in his direction. The Portage man and his two brothers had faced off against Gordon outside the bar after having a verbal confrontation inside.Portage investigators recovered numerous spent shells, which were compared to weapons owned by the Gary officers. The results linked Andrus' duty weapon to some of the casings, police said.
There was no telephone listing for Andrus in the Hobart area.Besides criminal charges, Andrus and any other participants may face punishment through the Gary Police Civil Service Commission.The allegations are the latest trouble for the department following the retirement of former Chief Thomas Houston. He and two aides had been accused of beating, harming and illegally holding people they suspected of breaking into Houston's house.Houston and his two former aides pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were indicted. Houston retired March 11 after 42 years with the department.

Jermaine Carvery, who was on remand on charges of attempted murder and hostage-taking, escaped from guards outside the Centennial Building of the Vict

Jermaine Carvery, who was on remand on charges of attempted murder and hostage-taking, escaped from guards outside the Centennial Building of the Victoria General hospital at about 1:15 p.m. while being transferred from a prison van to the hospital, where the 30-year-old was to undergo day surgery.But it is unclear how he made his brazen midday escape.Several questions remain unanswered.Did Mr. Carvery, who is noticeably thinner than the picture provided to the media, slip one of his ankles through the leg iron? Or did he have some sort of key?How did he outrun two unarmed guards in a busy area of Halifax? And why did it take 25 minutes before anyone notified police of his disappearance?Those are all questions that the provincial Justice Department hopes to answer during its internal review of Thursday’s escape."We’re looking at exactly, first of all, how this incident happened, starting from the time they left (the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth) to when he fled," said department spokeswoman Sherri Aikenhead.At this point, she said, officials don’t know how he got the leg irons off. As far as she knows, she said, he didn’t have a key.She hadn’t heard an unconfirmed report that Mr. Carvery may have gotten into a car at the Via Rail station, and it’s not known whether he had help from someone."Staff are trying to determine whether or not this was preplanned," she said."We were called at 1:39 p.m., and they were pursuing him in the area of South Street and Wellington at that point," said Const. Jeff Carr, Halifax Regional Police spokesman. He didn’t know why the force wasn’t informed sooner.Ms. Aikenhead said 1:15 p.m. "was an approximate time of the escape, but that is being looked at — the timelines — as part of our review."The guards weren’t injured during the incident and Justice Department staff notified Mr. Carvery’s alleged victims, Ms. Aikenhead said.Shortly after the call came in to police, officers set up a four- or five-block perimeter and brought in a police dog team and about two dozen officers.They ended the perimeter search at 3:30 p.m."We never had sight of him," Const. Carr said.The force sent out a description and photo of Mr. Carvery to other Nova Scotia police forces and set up a special team dedicated to searching for him.He is "considered potentially dangerous," Const. Carr said.Mr. Carvery faces 22 charges in connection with four heists in the Halifax and Truro areas from 2004 to 2006.He is charged with attempted murder, armed robbery and unauthorized possession of a firearm. He also faces four counts each of forcible confinement, wearing a disguise in the commission of an offence and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, three counts of theft and two counts each of robbery and possession of stolen property.Officials from four police agencies said in September that Mr. Carvery, in custody in Toronto at the time, had been charged in a series of "highly violent, takedown-style robberies, which shook the victims and owners and the Nova Scotia business community as a whole."On April 28, 2004, three armed men walked into TRA Cash and Carry in Truro at about 7 a.m., confined three employees and fled in a stolen van with a quantity of cigarettes. Four to six armed men entered the Costco store at Bayers Lake Business Park in Halifax shortly after 4 a.m. on July 30, 2004, as the first workers were arriving for the day.The robbers forcibly confined 42 employees for more than two hours while they loaded about $250,000 worth of cigarettes into a U-Haul truck and drove off. On the evening of Sept. 12, 2004, three armed and masked men hit Chrissy’s Trading Post in Hammonds Plains. They confined a clerk and two people who were in the parking lot, stole an undisclosed amount of cash and also tried to break into the business owner’s nearby home. Two years later, on Sept. 25, 2006, more than $100,000 was stolen from DirectCash ATM Services in Dartmouth.Two men, one armed with a gun and the other with a spray can, were involved in the crime. A shot was fired at an employee who escaped out a back door and ran to a nearby office. At the time of the escape Thursday, Mr. Carvery was wearing green jail-issued pants and a navy sweatshirt, Const. Carr said. He had short hair and facial hair, estimated to be about two days’ growth. He is also thinner now than he appeared in the photo issued to the media Thursday.

Victor Manuel Varela Jr suspected gun runner was arrested by agents from the Bureau of Alcoho, Tobacco, Firearms and explosives this week.

Victor Manuel Varela Jr., 23, of Tuscon, AZ was taken into custody by the Arizona U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force as part of Operation Gunrunner.
suspected gun runner was arrested by agents from the Bureau of Alcoho, Tobacco, Firearms and explosives this week.
Investigators believe the alleged gun-runner carried the guns into Mexico at the Columbus, N.M. border crossing and were intended for use in the ongoing battles between rival cartels and with Mexican law enforcement.The arrest follows an investigation conducted by the ATF and the Arizona Attorney General's Office, and investigators believe it will disrupt a group of gun smugglers that were allegedly trafficking the arms to a Mexican drug cartel.This investigation was initiated based on information that Varela, through a network of straw purchasers, had acquired a number of firearms, including several .50 caliber "Barrett" rifles, for the purpose of supplying them to Mexican cartel members.
A number of the firearms attributed to this group have been recovered by law enforcement and military entities of the Mexican government who were mobilized to address the escalating level of violence in the Juarez, Chihuahua and Palomas, areas of Mexico.Intelligence received throughout the course of this investigation, which implicates persons located in Mexico is being shared with members of Mexican law enforcement in conjunction with the ATF Mexico City Office. Varela was remanded to the custody of the Maricopa County Jail, and is being charged by the Arizona Attorney General's Office with control of a criminal enterprise, conspiracy, fraud, forgery and weapons violations.

George Reginald Graves arraigned negligently firing a weapon and a misdemeanor count of destruction of evidence

George Reginald Graves, 39, is scheduled to be arraigned at Southwest Justice Center within the next week on a felony count of negligently firing a weapon and a misdemeanor count of destruction of evidence. He could not be reached Wednesday for comment.A defense attorney who represented Graves after his arrest in June said Wednesday he has not spoken to Graves since the criminal charges were filed by the Riverside County district attorney's office.According to court documents, Graves and another man had been drinking at Corner Pocket bar on California Oaks Road the night of June 23, 2007.Murrieta police were sent to the bar to investigate a report of gunshots being heard.A security officer at the bar told police that he saw a car drive away, heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash from the car, documents state. Police ultimately identified Graves as one of the men in the car, according to the document, written in February by Murrieta police Detective Danny Martin requesting Graves' arrest.Officers went to a nearby apartment where Graves lived. While talking to him, Graves asked officers if anyone had been shot at the bar, the document states.When a search warrant was served at Graves' apartment, police found a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun registered to Graves in a bathroom sink about three-quarters filled with water and there was a strong odor of bleach, Martin wrote.The criminal complaint alleges that Graves tried to destroy or conceal evidence ---- gun powder residue.Three shell casings ---- one outside the bar and two more in the apartment complex across from the bar ---- were tested and found to have been fired from Graves' handgun, Martin wrote.
Another test revealed that Graves had a blood-alcohol level of 0.30 percent after his arrest, the document states.Martin wrote that he listened to jail phone calls made by both Graves and the man police say was with him that night. During some of those calls, the other man ---- who has not been charged in this case ---- made several statements about Graves being the one who fired the gun, Martin wrote.
Graves is no longer with the Sheriff's Department after 15 years of service.
In 1999, Graves received a Medal of Courage, one of the highest Sheriff's Department awards, for the actions he and another deputy took to save the lives of five adults and 11 children during an apartment fire in Lake Elsinore just before Christmas Day in 1998.Graves also received two other department awards: the Gold Star for his actions in a life-threatening situation in 2000 and the Lifesaving Award for performing CPR on a 3-year-old boy who nearly drowned in Canyon Lake in 1997.

Marc Kidby's Ohio University employee concealed-carry permit was not suspended until he lay dying of self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

His permit to carry a hidden handgun should have been suspended, and his guns surrendered, when his wife obtained a domestic-violence protection order Feb. 11.
However, the Athens County sheriff's office didn't suspend his permit, as required by state law, and might not even have asked Kidby to turn over his guns.
After two public suicide attempts, Kidby fatally wounded himself yesterday morning by firing rounds from his .38-caliber handgun into his chest and head at his rural home.In the weeks before, he had threatened twice to jump off tall structures in Athens, was admitted to a mental-health hospital and talked of “suicide by cop.”
The Athens County sheriff's office apparently was unaware that the law requires sheriffs to immediately suspend gun permits when a protection order is issued against permit holders.Chief Deputy Dave Malawista said today that he was unfamiliar with the law. “If that in fact is the case and we have notification of that, we will take care of it. … This may have been a single-case error.”
Malawista said he will meet with Common Pleas Judge Michael Ward to develop a consistent system of checking protection orders against lists of gun-permit holders.
“When we give them the orders over there, it's up to them to comply,” Ward said.
The protection order issued against Kidby, 30, an Ohio University employee disturbed by his pending divorce, instructed him to turn over his guns to deputies.
Federal domestic-violence laws also forbid domestic-violence suspects under protection orders from possessing firearms or ammunition.
“Even if someone had gone in and confiscated his guns, he certainly would not have lacked access to weapons,” Malawista said. “I know of no case where anyone thought he was a threat to others.”& amp; amp; lt; /p>
However, Kidby's wife said in her petition for a protection order that he had threatened to kill her and their 2-year-old daughter.
Nancy Neylon, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said she found it alarming that Kidby still possessed a gun permit when he killed himself. “You're not supposed to even have a firearm, let alone a concealed-carry permit,” she said.
Judge Craig Baldwin of Licking County Domestic Relations Court said that, at a minimum, law-enforcement officers should ask those served with protection orders to surrender their guns.
Officers may arrest someone who they suspect is violating an order by not turning over guns and then can obtain a search warrant to look for weapons, said Baldwin, chairman of the Ohio Domestic Relations Judges Association.
Statewide, sheriffs suspended 502 concealed-carry permits last year for reasons ranging from protective orders to criminal arrests. Two permits were suspended in Athens County. About 108,000 Ohioans hold gun permits.