Harry Christopher, 28, was shot five times in the back as he walked to his Buenos Aires hotel on Friday

Harry Christopher, 28, was shot five times in the back as he walked to his Buenos Aires hotel on Friday.Officers are now investigating whether his murder was the result of a bungled robbery or if he was killed as part of a drugs gangland hit.
Mr Christopher, who said he was from Belfast but is from Luton, had been in the South American country for a month and had an Argentine girlfriend.He was carrying a backpack containing his laptop computer and a mobile phone when he was shot near his hotel in the Moron area.But these items were left at the scene leading police to believe robbery was less of a motive.
One witness told police the killers drove up to Mr Christopher on a Gilera 125 moped and tried to grab his backpack but he fought back and began to run off with it.
Detectives found 'elements for cutting up drugs and various knives' in his hotel room and his girlfriend told police he was 'involved in drugs' and had recently been scared by some people from the drugs scene.A police source said: 'We are checking the veracity of many of the facts obtained as everything is very confusing.'Police are treating the crime as an 'attempted robbery and homicide'.The Argentine authorities have previously been accusing of using the drugs trade to cover up the murder of a British backpacker in Buenos Aires.Laura Hill, a 25-year-old dental nurse, was found dead outside her apartment in the city last October.Argentina's Justice and Security Minister Anibal Fernandez claimed she was part of a drugs trafficking gang and died from a overdose.But her parents, Kevin and Alison Hill, from Eastbourne, believe she was sexually assaulted and then murdered.A Foreign Office spokeswoman said Mr Christopher's had been informed and consular assistance was being provided.

Police say Lloyd Best tried running from officers, and his car then hit a tree. The man then got out of the vehicle with a pistol in his hand

Police say Lloyd Best tried running from officers, and his car then hit a tree. The man then got out of the vehicle with a pistol in his hand, and police say he began running on foot. Officers caught the suspect on New River Drive.
Police also say he had drugs in his vehicle, and had altered the serial numbers on the firearm he was carrying. Best's bond is set at $175,000.

Finnish police have confirmed that 10 people and the gunman died in Tuesday's shooting at the Seinajoki vocational centre in western Finland.

Finnish police have confirmed that 10 people and the gunman died in Tuesday's shooting at the Seinajoki vocational centre in western Finland. The college, in the small town of Kauhajoki, about 300km (205 miles) north-west of the capital, Helsinki, has around 150 students. The gunman, Matti Juhani Saari, entered the building at around 1100 local time carrying a Walther P22 pistol and wearing a ski mask. After randomly shooting students writing an exam, Saari was cornered by armed police. He died later in hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Police said the 22-year-old had left a handwritten note explaining his hatred forthe human race and that he had been planning the shooting since 2002.
It is unclear how many people were injured in the incident. Last November, a student shot eight people dead at a school in the town of Jokela, north of the capital, Helsinki. This incident in Kauhajoki is eerily reminiscent of those killings, with a similar weapon being used and a similar video being posted on the internet by the suspect prior to the killings. Police admit they interviewed Saari on Monday in connection with three videos that were posted on the YouTube website last week.
One of the videos shows a young man firing a pistol before pointing the weapon at the camera and declaring in English "you will die next". But no action was taken by the authorities to confiscate Saari's legally held pistol or to hold him into custody.

O. J. Simpson faces a dozen charges, including kidnapping, which carries a life sentence, armed robbery, coercion, assault with a deadly weapon

O.J. Simpson told one of his companions to "put the guns away," when Simpson and his entourage had a run-in with two collectibles dealers on Sept. 13, 2007, at a Las Vegas hotel, a witness in Simpson's robbery/kidnapping trial testified Monday afternoon.Also, another prosecution witness — a collectibles dealer who was on the witness stand for three days — revealed he had personally made $210,000 as a result of his involvement with the case.

O. J. Simpson faces a dozen charges, including kidnapping, which carries a life sentence, armed robbery, coercion, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy, to name just a few, for the September incident in a Las Vegas hotel room in which he allegedly sought to retrieve items that belonged to him, including photographs of his children and late parents.Co-defendant Clarence “C. J.” Stewart, who was in Simpson’s group, faces the same charges. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
Charles B. Ehrlich, another of the men who joined O. J. Simpson on Sept. 13 to the Las Vegas Palace Station Hotel & Casino to retrieve the items from two sports memorabilia dealers, testified Monday that the former NFL star well knew that one of his associates was armed.Simpson has been adamant that he did not know anyone in his posse was carrying a gun.Ehrlich however told the judge and jury that he heard Simpson tell one of the associates, “Put the gun away,” during the confrontation, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. Ehrlich has pleaded guilty to lesser charges, agreeing to testify for the prosecution against Simpson and Stewart.
Bruce Fromong, one of the two alleged victims, also testified last week that he remembered how at one point Simpson was waving his arm up and down as someone asked for the gun to be put away.There is no consensus among witnesses though, as Thomas Riccio, the collectibles broker who arranged the meeting and who was inventive enough to hide a recorder in the hotel room (which recorded everything that was said there, including what police investigators called to the scene commented), has testified that he never heard any of the men present during the confrontation mention anything about a gun.Riccio also revealed during questioning that he made more than $210,000 from media deals he arranged, with the secret recordings as object of desire. He received $150,000 from celebrity gossip site TMZ.com, another $15,000 from ABC News and $25,000 more from “Entertainment Tonight.” Howard Stern’s radio show provided him with an additional $20,000 through a sponsor, he testified, as quoted by the Times.
Riccio’s piggy bank was further filled up when in April of this year he published “Busted: The Inside Story of the World of Sports Memorabilia, O.J. Simpson and the Vegas Arrests,” about last year’s incident. This reportedly earned him $20,000.

Jordan Eske and Nicolas Foster are in Lancaster County Jail

Jordan Eske and Nicolas Foster, both 21, are in Lancaster County Jail pending an October 1st arraignment. They're each charged with four counts of theft by deception, and one count of computer fraud, for allegedly pulling cash from privately owned ATMs at four stores in the area. The pair allegedly reprogrammed the machines to believe they were loaded with one-dollar bills instead of tens and twenties. A withdrawal of $20 would thus net $380. Cash machine reprogramming scams first became public in 2006 when a cyber thief strolled into a gas station in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and, with no special equipment, persuaded the Tranax ATM that it had $5.00 bills in its dispensing tray, instead of $20.00 bills. Threat Level later confirmed that default administrative passcodes for ATMs manufactured by industry leaders Tranax and Triton were printed in owner's manuals easily found online. Both companies said they were surprised by the scam, but an industry association of which they are members privately spotted the capers and warned members over a year earlier. Since then, the scam has also surfaced in Derry, Pennsylvania. But the Nebraska case marks the first reported arrests for the keypad capers. Lincoln Police DepartmentEske and Foster were busted on their fourth visit to Lobo's City Mex in August. Manager Raul Omar Lobo, the owner's son, was waiting for them -- he'd been tipped off by the company that services the restaurant's Tranax ATM that someone had swiped $1,400 from the machine in three earlier midday visits. When the two men entered, Lobo recognized them from the surveillance tapes. "So I locked the doors and told them not to move while I had one of the employees call the cops," says Lobo.
According to police, Lobo pulled a gun on the men, who nonetheless managed to wrench the door open and bolt. Lobo grabbed one of them in a headlock, and a wild shot was fired in the scuffle before the men broke free and sped away in their rented Pontiac Grand Prix. An administrative passcode opens hidden functions on common models of retail ATMs, like this screen on the Tranax Mini Bank that sets the denomination of bills the machine thinks it's dispensing. Lobo says he jumped in his car and gave chase, eventually getting the attention of the police, who took over the pursuit. The suspects pulled over and "ran into a building and tried going out the other side to lose the police, but we were waiting for them," says Lincoln Police Department spokeswoman Katie Flood. Police found $10,000 in cash in the car. The defendants are suspected of stealing $13,600 in the Lincoln area, and pulling an unknown amount from ATMs in New Orleans, where they're from. Asked by police how they did it, "They said it's well-known on the internet," says Flood.
In 2006, both Tranax and Triton issued software patches for new ATMs that force operators to change the default passcodes on first use.

Officer Patrick McDonald, 30, was shot in the chest, rushed to Temple University Hospital in critical condition and later died

Officer Patrick McDonald, 30, was shot in the chest, rushed to Temple University Hospital in critical condition and later died, authorities said. He was single and an eight-year veteran of the department.Philadelphia Highway Patrol officer was shot dead and a second officer was wounded Tuesday afternoon when a chase and gun battle resulted from a car stop in North Philadelphia.Police said the alleged gunman was also shot and killed during the incident that occurred around 1:45 p.m. near the 2200 block of North Colorado Street.Officer Richard Bowes, 35, was struck in the hip and reported to be in stable condition. He has 12 years on the force and is a married father of three. Daniel Giddings, was wanted in connection with an August assault on four Philadelphia police officers.Police are still looking for Giddings' girlfriend, who police said was also in the car stopped by McDonald.
Officer Called For Backup During Car StopDeputy Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Tuesday afternoon that McDonald called dispatch for assistance on the 2100 block of Bouvier Street. McDonald apparently stopped a late-model, burgundy Buick occupied by a man and a woman, whom the officer was questioning. When the man took off running, McDonald gave chase and got into an altercation with the man.
Sources say Giddings stood over McDonald's body and fired at least seven and perhaps as many as nine shots into his body. The bullets from went through the officer's vest.Police questioned one woman who witnessed the shooting, but officers are also on the lookout for Giddings' girlfriend, who drove off in the Buick.Ross said officers responding to back-up McDonald spotted a man running toward them on the 2200 block of North Colorado Street and gave chase. Bose exchanged gunfire with the man at Colorado and Dauphin streets and was shot.The suspect then ran to the 2300 block of North 17th Street, where he fell and died of his wounds, Ross said.
The first officers at the scene could not see McDonald and did not initially know what had happened to him, Ross said.Investigators said the slide lock was pulled back on the .45-caliber, semi-automatic weapon recovered at the scene. The entire clip had been fired.McDonald was pronounced dead at the hospital at 2:08 p.m.

Troy Davis have called for a new trial as seven of the nine witnesses who helped put him on death row recanted their testimony.

Troy Davis have called for a new trial as seven of the nine witnesses who helped put him on death row recanted their testimony. Protesters had arrived by the busload to protest the execution, carrying signs with slogans like "Justice for Troy Davis" and wearing blue T-shirts emblazoned with "I am Troy Davis." A crowd of about 50 erupted in cheers when the stay, granted around 5:20 p.m., was announced.The Rev. Al Sharpton had accompanied members of Davis' family to the protest, including Davis' mother, Virginia.Prosecutors have labeled the witness statements "suspect," and courts had previously refused requests for a new trial.The execution had been scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT.The stay will remain in effect while the court considers Davis' appeal. Davis wants the high court to order a judge to hear from the witnesses who recanted their testimony and others who say another man confessed to the crime.Influential advocates, including former President Jimmy Carter and South Africa Archbishop Desmond Tutu, insist that there's enough doubt about his guilt to merit a new trial.A divided Georgia Supreme Court has twice rejected his request for a new trial, and had rejected his appeal to delay the execution Monday afternoon. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles also turned down his bid for clemency.
Davis was convicted of the murder of 27-year-old officer Mark MacPhail, who was working off-duty as a security guard at a bus station.MacPhail had rushed to help a homeless man who had been pistol-whipped at a nearby parking lot, and was shot twice when he approached Davis and two other men.Witnesses identified Davis as the shooter, and at the 1991 trial, prosecutors said he wore a "smirk on his face" as he fired the gun.But Davis' lawyers say new evidence proves their client was a victim of mistaken identity. Besides those who have recanted their testimony, three others who did not testify have said Sylvester "Red" Coles — who testified against Davis at his trial — confessed to the killing.Coles refused to talk about the case when contacted by The Associated Press during a 2007 Chatham County court appearance and has no listed phone number.Prosecutors have contended in court hearings the case is closed. They also say some of the witness affidavits simply repeat what a trial jury has already heard, while others are irrelevant because they come from witnesses who never testified.Meanwhile, a man was set to be executed Tuesday in Florida barring a last-minute intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court. Richard "Ric Ric" Henyard, 34, was convicted of the 1993 shooting deaths of two sisters — 7-year-old Jamilya Lewis and Jasmine Lewis, 3.Their mother, Dorothy Lewis, survived after she was raped and shot several times during a carjacking. Both girls, with their mother when they were seized by Henyard and an accomplice, were shot in the head when they cried out for her.

Michael Barrett charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of hollow point bullets

Jamar Richardson of Wilingboro, and the passenger, Michael Barrett of Mount Holly, were lodged in Burlington County Jail on $100,000 bail, police said. Richardson was operating the vehicle with a suspended driver’s license, according to police.
Richardson was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession and with the intent to distribute CDS in a school zone. Barrett was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of hollow point bullets, police said.At this time there is no connection between this incident and the incident which occurred on Monday involving Deion Madison, police said.

Omhari Sengstackewas apparently intoxicated but not armed when he was arrested about 6:30 a.m. as he neared the barriers a block from the Obama home

Omhari Sengstacke, 31, of Chicago, member of a prominent Chicago family faces a felony gun charge after being arrested Tuesday when he approached security barriers outside Barack Obama's home. The U.S. Secret Service said he never posed a threat to the Democratic presidential candidate.He was apparently intoxicated but not armed when he was arrested about 6:30 a.m. as he neared the barriers a block from the Obama home, police spokesman Daniel O'Brien said.Police found a gun and a bulletproof vest in his car nearby.Sengstacke did not utter any threats against Obama or make any threatening gestures, U.S. Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said.Sengstacke also is charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing for approaching security barriers near Obama's home. The more serious charge accuses him of possessing a firearm while being a felon.Omhari Sengstacke is the grandson of John Sengstacke, publisher of the black-owned Chicago Defender for decades until his death in 1997.Obama was believed to be home at the time of the incident

Barack Obama has had another security scare after a gun was found in the car of a man arrested outside the Presidential hopeful's home yesterday.The man, who was apparently intoxicated, was arrested after approaching security barriers in a no-access area outside Obama's Chicago home.Police say they then found a gun when they searched the suspect's car.Both Chicago police and Secret Service agents continued to question the man, who has not been named, last night.Obama was believed to be home at the time although officials would not confirm it.U.S. Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said the man did not utter any threats against Obama or make any threatening gestures before his arrest.He did not detail what the man did to prompt his arrest in the first place.Obama left the house later in the day to take a flight to Florida, where he will be preparing for Friday's presidential debate.
Obama recently had a separate scare when three men were arrested with weapons allegedly intended for an assassination plot.

police have seized guns, and more than $500,000 worth of drugs in raids that resulted in more than 70 arrests

Detective Senior Sergeant Darrin Thomson, who headed Operation Viper, said 73 arrests were made over the past eight days and followed three months of intelligence gathering.More than half of those arrested have been charged with drug dealing offences involving cannabis, ecstasy, LSD .Wellington police have seized guns, and more than $500,000 worth of drugs in raids that resulted in more than 70 arrests

Alleged by police that Steven McIntyre entered the bank carrying a gun, handed a teller a backpack and demanded she put money in it

Arrested Paul Page Jr. and Jessica Page, both 20, as well as Tanya Finley. They are accused of assisting Steven McIntyre, 21. McIntyre is charged with robbery, a class-B felony; theft, a class-D felony; intimidation, a class-C felony; and pointing a firearm, a class-D felony.According to police, the arrests of the three additional suspects occurred as part of the follow-up investigation into the robbery. All three are acquaintances of McIntyre.The Pages, husband and wife, face charges of receiving stolen property and assisting a criminal, class-D felonies.Finley faces a charge of assisting a criminal, a class-D felony.McIntyre was arrested around 10 p.m. the same day of the robbery.
He remains in the Greene County Jail with bail set at $50,000.It is alleged by police that McIntyre entered the bank carrying a gun, handed a teller a backpack and demanded she put money in it. The bank employee complied and the suspect then left through the same door he entered.According to police, around $2,700 was stolen.
All three of the new suspects have been released on bail. Paul Page Jr. is expected in Greene County Court on Friday, while both Finley and Jessica Page are due in court Monday.

Alex Windel Bailey, Evaton Adam Bailey each charged with carrying a concealed firearm

Alex Windel Bailey, 18, of 109 Anderson St., and Evaton Adam Bailey, 18, of 110 Anderson St., in Lake Placid, were each charged with carrying a concealed firearm, a third-degree felony.Evaton Bailey's bond was set at $10,000.Alex Bailey was additionally charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence. Alex Bailey's bond was set at $20,000.It was about 11 p.m. Sunday, when deputies approached the brothers who were seated at the table.Sheriff's deputies noted the table is a common hang-out spot for people, open to the general public, but is also a "well known area where illegal drug sales occur."
"Alex consented to a search of his person," the report stated, "and during which he was found to be in possession of a Bryce Arms 9 mm automatic handgun."Deputy Michael Ahrens reported that as he touched the right pocket on Alex Bailey's outer pair of shorts, Bailey began to resist and tried to grab the firearm, Ahrens stated."While attempting to restrain Alex, he was actively attempting to pull my hand away from his shorts and pull away from my grasp, wherein he scratched my left arm," Ahrens wrote.Ahrens noted that he received numerous scratches to his inner arm while struggling with Alex Bailey. After being pushed to the ground, he was handcuffed with assistance from other deputies.During this time, Deputy James Brimlow told Evaton Bailey to place both of his hands on the picnic table. As he leaned forward, Brimlow reported, "I heard what I thought to be a gun," Brimlow wrote, as it hit the table top.Brimlow pushed Evaton Bailey forward and grabbed the right side of his waistband. He reported finding a concealed revolver under a top layer of shorts inside another pair of shorts, and Evaton Bailey was placed under arrest.The brothers were both previously arrested on Aug. 20, on charges of loitering or prowling and resisting arrest without violence. Their bond was revoked.
Alex Bailey pled no contest Monday and was adjudicated on the loitering and resisting arrest charges, according to the Highlands County Clerk of the Court's Office. Evaton Bailey's next court date on the loitering and resisting charges is scheduled for Oct. 20.

Daniel L. Nighswonger,fired a gun in front of and behind vehicles as they passed by him

Daniel L. Nighswonger, 31, of Moses Lake fired a gun in front of and behind vehicles as they passed by him, the sheriff's office said. Sheriff's deputies, with the help of Moses Lake police and the Washington State Patrol, stopped Nighswonger's Ford F-150 as he was leaving the area.With guns aimed, authorities ordered Nighswonger and two passengers out of the truck. They arrested Nighswonger without incident.He was booked into the Grant County jail on suspicion of three counts of reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor, and unlawful use of a loaded gun, a misdemeanor.The other two people, a 52-year-old man and a 19-year-old, were released. The teen was cited for suspicion of being a minor consuming alcohol.
Authorities searched the truck and found three handguns -- a .357 magnum, a .22 caliber and a 9 mm semiautomatic -- along with boxes of ammunition, the sheriff's office reported

Jeffrey Wayne McKay was arrested by Rocklin police

Jeffrey Wayne McKay is a motorcycle officer with the traffic division, said Sacramento Police Sgt. Matt Young. He was placed on paid leave while an internal probe and the criminal investigation proceed.Jeffrey Wayne McKay, 34, of Rocklin, was arrested by Rocklin police Saturday after officers were called to Heron Court and Darby Road about a disturbance at about 10 p.m.McKay's neighbors told police that McKay made threats against them while loading a firearm in front of his home, said Rocklin Police Lt. Lon Milka. The neighbors said McKay exposed himself by urinating on his front lawn, Milka said. Officers found a handgun at the scene, he said. McKay was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and making threats of physical harm.McKay was booked into the Auburn jail and bail set at $15,000. No arraignment date was available Monday.

No charges will be filed against Joseph Calanchini he had the weapons because he was going on a hunting safari in South Africa.

No charges will be filed against a man who carried guns into a Denver hotel where U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stayed during the Democratic National Convention.
A criminal case against Joseph Calanchini, 28, of Pinedale, Wyo., is "closed," said Robin Finnegan of the Denver district attorney's office. Calanchini was arrested Aug. 23 when police found him carrying two rifles and two handguns in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel. He was held in the Denver jail on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon. The day of his arrest, Pelosi was briefly evacuated from the hotel. Calanchini told authorities he had the weapons because he was going on a hunting safari in South Africa.

Ronald F. Zito, is scheduled to be arraigned in Westborough District Court on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon

Ronald F. Zito, 31, of Cranston, R.I., is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Westborough District Court on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. Police said he posted $300 bail after his arrest.
“It was kind of a road-rage type situation,” said Sgt. Steven Reale.
The alleged victim called police Saturday at 12:38 p.m., reporting he had sped through a red light on East Main Street after Zito pulled beside him and held up a gun.
Zito had been following extremely closely and appeared agitated when the other driver stopped for traffic, police said.
Then, in the area of Bay State Commons, Zito pointed the gun directly at the man, which Reale said prompted the call to police.
The alleged victim had his 4-year-old son in his backseat, police said.
Zito parked the Dunbar Armored Car he’d been driving in front of Roche Bros. in the Bay State Commons shopping plaza.
Patrolman Jeffrey Johnson stopped Zito as he left the plaza.
As an armored car driver, Zito’s possession of the handgun was lawful. The assault charge, police said, is because Zito used the gun to scare the other driver.
“Threatening someone with it is actually assault, putting someone in fear,” Reale said.

Gun battle between rival gang members in the heart of Adelaide that had footpath diners diving to escape a volley of 15 shots

Man charged over a brazen gun battle between rival gang members in the heart of Adelaide that had footpath diners diving to escape a volley of 15 shots.The shootout involved about a dozen men, with some gunshots narrowly missing cafe and restaurant patrons in the early hours of May 6. Security footage of the scene showed at least one man brandishing a pistol as gang members traded shots. A car, believed to be used by one of the gangs, was found burning in Adelaide's northern suburbs the next day, and the investigation has resulted in the seizure of weapons and ammunition in a raid on one house. At the time, South Australian Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Harrison said officers believed the shootout was linked to the distribution of illicit drugs but would not name the gangs involved. At least one was believed to be a bikie gang. Police have now charged a 38-year-old man with acts to endanger life and firearms offences in relation to the incident. A police spokesman said the man had also been charged with two counts of threatening to kill and with causing an affray in relation to a second incident in August when a man was shot in the leg on an Adelaide street. The charged man was refused police bail and the spokesman said prosecutors would seek a court ban on publication or broadcast of his image.
"The man's identity is a crucial part of the ongoing investigation," he said.
The Crime Gangs Task Force expected to make further arrests in relation to the shootout which sparked renewed debate on State Government moves to crack down on the activities of illegal gangs, especially bikies. SA Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said the shootout vindicated the Government's decision to draft tough new laws to rid South Australia of gangs.
Those measures have since passed State Parliament, allowing police to ask that specific groups or gangs be declared, essentially banning their members from meeting.

Wayne Arlington Cornell, Jr.search turned up a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol under the car seat

Wayne Arlington Cornell, Jr., reportedly told Necaise he had marijuana and methamphetamine in his possession, and that he had a weapon and precursors to manufacture methamphetamine in the vehicle. A search turned up a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol under the car seat, along with Coleman fuel and lithium batteries. The later two are commonly used as ingredients in methamphetamine.A background check also showed that Cornell had an extensive criminal history, Police Chief James Varnell said. His background included numerous arrests for battery on a police officer, theft, resisting arrest, shoplifting, and simple battery, Varnell said.
Cornell, 40, of Bay St. Louis, has also used numerous aliases and goes by the street name of "Redbone," Varnell said.Cornell was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of precursors and possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Municipal Court Judge Gerald Gex ordered him held under $150,500 bond.

Shooting death of Hugo Salinas brought the number of killings in the city to 20

"One homicide is one too many," Mayor Dennis Donohue said following the death of 17-year-old Hugo Salinas. shooting death of a teenage boy Tuesday brought the number of killings in the city to 20, just shy of 1994's high of 24. Police said Salinas was shot several times just before 9:30 a.m. in the 1300 block of Nogal Drive. He died there on the sidewalk and investigators searched for clues in the neighborhood, which sits atop a slight bluff overlooking Natividad Creek Park. Cmdr. Kelly McMillin said people in the area reported hearing one or two gunshots and then a car driving away. But investigators don't know if a vehicle was involved and they have no suspects. They did, however, say the shooting appears to be gang-related. It's a common thread with many of the other slayings and the scores of shootings in the city this year. "People that are not associated with gangs have much less to fear," McMillin said. "Gang members target gang members and associates. In the majority of our homicides, there is a clear gang connection." He said some of the slayings may be cases where the victim was mistaken for a gang member. But gangs have been ruled out in only one homicide, the stabbing death of a 46-year-old woman in February that police say was carried out by her boyfriend. Longtime anti-gang violence activist Deborah Aguilar, whose son was gunned down in 2002, sat on a sidewalk at the scene where Salinas was killed Tuesday and quietly sobbed.
Aguilar, an advisory member of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Program, vowed to fight the recent spate of gang violence in Salinas and the ongoing devastation it propagates.
"Regardless (if it was gang-related), it's another loss and another family devastated," said Aguilar, the founder of a support group for parents who have lost a child to violence. "We've got to unite and become strong. We can't let this evil win. We will beat this." After a relatively low number homicides in recent years — seven in 2005, seven in 2006 and 14 in 2007 — police say the number of homicides has increased this year because gangs are attacking rivals and their own members.
Donohue said he recognizes the concern the shootings raise in the community and that the level of violence in the city is unacceptable. He stressed however, as he has in the past, that the issue is being addressed. "We have a game plan and we are not going to deviate from one event to another," he said. Donohue said he anticipates that the California Highway Patrol and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office will soon join the city police department in its efforts to quell the recent wave of violence. Including the shooting death of Salinas on Tuesday, there have been nine suspected gang shootings that have left three people dead and nine others wounded in the last four weeks. Police Chief Daniel Ortega, Donohue, other city officials and representatives of the Sheriff's Office and CHP met Tuesday for the first time since the police department said it would ask for outside help last week. McMillin said increased police enforcement is effective in decreasing violence, but it does not get to the root of the issue. "The police department will never stop the fundamental problem of gang membership," he said. "The question is what does society at large have to do."

Thierry Dominique Nshimayezu arrest led to a safe in the home which contained an unloaded handgun with ammunition stored separately.

Thierry Dominique Nshimayezu, 24, faced mandatory minimum one-year sentences on each of two counts he pleaded guilty to, but Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance, after studying previous court rulings, agreed with the defence that each of the two sentences could be served concurrently. She sentenced Nshimayezu to 380 days in custody but gave him the standard two-for-one credit for the time he had served in pre-sentence custody.Acting on information that crack cocaine was being sold out of a home at 953 Wellington Ave., police obtained a search warrant and then made a forced entry into the residence at 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 14, 2006. All five black males found in a bedroom in the rear of the home were arrested and charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
There were no drugs found on Nshimayezu, but a key found on his possession following his arrest led to a safe in the home which contained an unloaded handgun with ammunition stored separately."I'm really sorry about how I acted," Nshimayezu told the judge in a barely audible statement before sentencing.Pomerance called the defence and Crown's joint submission on sentencing "lenient" but within the acceptable range. She said the charges were "very serious" and that prohibited weapons in drug situations represent a "grave danger" to the community which requires a court sentence that serves as deterrence and denunciation.Nshimayezu, who had no prior criminal convictions, was also placed on two years probation during which he is not to own a cellphone or associate with the four co-accused, and he was handed a lifetime ban on possessing or handling firearms and other restricted weapons and ordered to submit a blood sample of a police DNA databank.Defence lawyer Frank Miller described his client as a refugee from Rwanda whose family was "decimated" by the genocide that occurred there when he was a youngster. Miller said one could "only speculate on the long-term impact" of that traumatic experience.
Following Nshimayezu's sentencing, the Crown withdrew all charges against co-defendant Abdirizak Farah Abdullahi.Co-accused Akeen Abdul Newby had also been expected to enter a plea, but his case is continuing with a pre-trial set for Sept. 30. A trial is still pending for a youth involved, and the fifth accused had already pled guilty and was sentenced for his role.

Jason and Rebecca Matteau are both charged with risk of injury to a minor

Jason Matteau, 27, and Rebecca Matteau, 24, of Jewett City, turned themselves in at the state police barracks in Montville after being told authorities had arrest warrants for them. They were freed on $50,000 bonds and ordered to appear in Norwich Superior Court on Oct. 1.Wyatt Matteau died Aug. 28 about two hours after being shot in the head when the gun accidentally fired, state police said. The Matteaus were at their Green Avenue apartment with their son and infant daughter at the time, but Wyatt was alone in a room when the gun went off, troopers said.Connecticut law makes it a crime to store loaded firearms in an area where the owner reasonably should know that someone under 16 could find them.
Jason and Rebecca Matteau are both charged with risk of injury to a minor. Jason Matteau is also charged with criminally negligent storage of a firearm.The Matteaus could not be reached Wednesday. There was no listing for their home phone number, and it was not immediately clear whether they had hired lawyers.A few days after the boy died, the Matteaus wrote a letter to the public calling the incident "a parent's worst nightmare" and thanking the community for its support."There is no way to even begin to express our feelings," Jason Matteau wrote in the letter.

Russell Stewart, became irate, throwing items from his trunk, and finally tried to get the police officer’s gun.

Russell Stewart, became irate, throwing items from his trunk, and finally tried to get the police officer’s gun.Captain Fox subdued the suspect with the aid of a hefty flashlight, and gained the assistance of a bystander who happened to be a volunteer firefighter. The firefighter was instrumental in getting Captain Fox’s handcuffs accessible while the suspect was being constrained.The situation went from bad to worse, to safe in a short period, and the suspect was transported to the hospital and later arrested for attempting to disarm a police officer, aggravated assault on an officer, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving and driving under the influence of narcotics. Additional charges are pending.

Shootout suspect may be serial rapist

Shootout suspect may be serial rapist Just after noon on Sept. 11, Bartlett was taken into custody in the Chisel Run town house complex in James City County after a prolonged police chase in vehicles and on foot that included at least two separate shoot outs with officers attempting to apprehend him near the Prime Outlets shopping center.The incident started about 11:30 a.m. when two women reported an attempted car jacking/abduction at a Richmond Road Shell station in Norge. One of the women was pistol whipped several times during the incident.As of this morning, Bartlett faced 17 felony charges and four misdemeanor charges in James City County and Williamsburg. They include several charges of attempted murder of police officers related to Thursday's events. Bartlett has also been charged in connection with an Aug. 30 abduction, rape and robbery in the Williamsburg area. Those charge include abduction, use of a firearm in the course of an abduction and by a convicted felon and robbery.In York, Bartlett is charged with 15 felonies. They include car jacking, robbery and rape-related charges connected to the Sept. 5 abduction of a woman at gunpoint from the parking lot of the Merrimac Trail Farm Fresh grocery store.Bartlett also faces York County felonies related to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, using a firearm in the commission of felonies and using a mask in public to conceal the identity of the wearer, according to arrest warrants filed in York General District Court.A press conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today at the James City County Law Enforcement Center. Bartlett, 44, of Shacklefords, was arraigned by video teleconference in York and James City County District Courts Friday morning. He is currently being held without bond in the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.Bartlett's Thursday arrest came just days after a Sept. 9 conviction in James City Circuit Court for failing to register, or re-register, as a sex offender. Judge Samuel Taylor Powell III sentenced Bartlett to three years in prison for the offense but suspended two years, 11 months and 26 days of the sentence, according to Circuit Court records.It was unclear Friday morning the amount of jail time Bartlett may have served related to the Sept. 9 conviction prior to his arrest Thursday.

Scott Alan Lanner,was booked into the county jail on suspicion of felony menacing and misdemeanor false imprisonment

Scott Alan Lanner, 46, was booked into the county jail on suspicion of felony menacing and misdemeanor false imprisonment, according to jail records.He is being held on $2,000 bond on each count and is due in court Monday, jail records show.
The Aug. 8 encounter occurred near Lanner's home in the 1800 block of Couch Place. According to an arrest affidavit, Lanner had just finished mowing his lawn when he decided to check on two men who were walking from house to house in brightly colored vests.He approached a parked car and told one of them, Patrick J. Wilson, that he must leave because he did not have a permit to inspect roofs. No permit is required in unincorporated El Paso County, authorities said.Wilson, of Claim Specialists International of Colorado Springs, wore a laminated identification card and said he presented Lanner with documents about his company and tried to explain that he was in the neighborhood legally when Lanner drew his weapon and ordered him to get out of the car. Wilson was handcuffed and searched.Lanner later said the documents appeared to be false and that Wilson ignored orders to put his hands up, which Wilson denied, the affidavit said.The marshal also said he was concerned about elderly neighbors because of recent home invasions, though sheriff's officials said none had been reported.Something about the men triggered his "policeman spidey sense," Lanner said, according to the affidavit."Lanner was not able to articulate any suspicious activity, reasonable suspicion or probable cause for a stop or drawing his weapon during that stop," Detective Cliff Porter with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office wrote in the affidavit.Porter noted that Wilson is black and that the second employee, who is white, was not searched or questioned."It just smacks of racism," said Glen Jessen, a co-owner of Claim Specialists International. "Patrick's a really good kid, and I don't see how something like this could happen to him."
El Paso County Sheriff's Office Bureau Chief Joe Breister said the stop did not appear to be a "black-white issue."Lanner told authorities he made a snap decision after Wilson turned away from him and dropped his hands out of view.The marshal approached the car because it was nearest to him, Breister said. The other man was down the street, walking toward the car.A prosecutor with the 4th Judicial District Attorneys Office opted to file charges after reviewing the sheriff's office investigation, Breister said.City marshals are employed by the Colorado Springs Police Department and serve warrants, provide security and perform other duties on behalf of Municipal Court.The marshals undergo the same training as patrol officers and may wear their service pistols while off-duty, said police Lt. Scott Whittington, who oversees the eight-person unit.Lanner, a police employee since 1995, was temporarily moved to a graffiti-removal unit after the department learned of the criminal investigation, Whittington said.
The marshal will be placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case.

Dustin Allen Gaskill for carrying weapons, which is an aggravated misdemeanor, going armed with intent, a Class D felony, and public intoxication

Dustin Allen Gaskill, 24, 922 E. College St., No. D5, was arrested about 12:40 a.m. Friday for carrying weapons, which is an aggravated misdemeanor, going armed with intent, a Class D felony, and public intoxication.Police said officers responded to a report at 922 E. College St. No. D2 that a man armed with a shotgun was knocking on their door. Officers were given a description of the suspect and were told that he had just left. As they arrived, they were notified the man had returned, police said.When officers entered the building, they found Gaskill, unarmed, near the complainant's door. After questioning Gaskill and obtaining permission to search his apartment, officers found an unloaded 12-gauge shotgun outside of its case on the bedroom floor, according to the arrest report. Police said none of the complainants or Gaskill knew each other.

Charged a Sydney woman found carrying a pistol and two magazines of ammunition in her handbag.

Charged a Sydney woman found carrying a pistol and two magazines of ammunition in her handbag.The 23-year-old was stopped as she left her home at Sans Souci in Sydney's south yesterday afternoon, police said."Inside the woman's handbag police allegedly located a carry case, containing a Beretta pistol and two magazines," police said in a statement.The woman was charged with firearms offences, was refused bail and was due to face court today.The arrest followed an investigation by officers into alleged proceeds of crime offences, police said. Police yesterday raided two homes in Punchbowl and Greenacre where officers found "a substantial amount of cash buried in containers in a backyard and a quantity of steroids", police said.Two teenage brothers were arrested earlier this week and face firearms and drugs charges as part of the same police investigation.

Gardai believe convicted murderer Brian Meehan masterminded the importation of the guns found in Dublin and Belfast

Gardai believe convicted murderer Brian Meehan masterminded the importation of the guns found in Dublin and Belfast and that those weapons were bought from the Amsterdam wholesale operation.Senior detectives say Irish criminals have bought guns from the Dutch gunrunners, who had clients throughout western Europe, on a number of occasions in the past.However, gardai have stressed that there is nothing to suggest that the arsenal discovered by Dutch police on Tuesday was destined for Ireland.
"There is any number of criminal gangs around Europe who could have been waiting for the delivery of these guns," said a senior officer.PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde said yesterday that if the weapons had been destined for Ireland, the cache, which included high-powered Glock semi-automatic pistols and Steyr submachine guns, was large enough to start a war.Meanwhile, four people, three men and a woman have appeared before a judge in Rotterdam, charged in connection with the Amsterdam arms find. They were arrested in Amsterdam and a nearby town within hours of the seizure near Dublin airport. They have been remanded in custody for two weeks, and will then appear before a closed session of court. Under Dutch court procedures it is unlikely that would come to trial before November at the earliest. Brian Meehan, a drug dealer who is serving a life sentence in Portlaoise prison for murdering Veronica Guerin, a crime reporter, in 1996. Meehan, an associate of the main organiser, had helped to broker the deal using a mobile phone smuggled into prison. “Meehan’s role in the conspiracy was to act as a guarantor between all the parties. His problem was that he is a prisoner and had to do his business over a phone, which had been compromised,” said one intelligence source. “Once the main organiser’s phone was compromised, it was over. We were able to trace everything.” The gang was put under surveillance by undercover police when the arms and drugs shipment arrived in Belfast last week. At the last minute, the mastermind arranged to deliver part of the consignment to Limerick and organised a courier to collect 27 guns, 20kg of heroin and herbal cannabis from a location in Belfast. Armed gardai and surveillance units tailed the vehicle used to collect the contraband from Belfast to Dublin and it was stopped on Tuesday in Swords. Inside the vehicle officers found four types of firearms including Glock 19C semi-automatic pistols, with magazines and speed-loaders. There were also Glock 19 semi-automatic pistols, Beretta semi-automatic pistols with sound suppressors, Smith & Wesson revolvers and ammunition. More than a dozen shrink-wrapped blocks of heroin and about eight bags of herbal cannabis were also found. The value of the drugs was €4m. The other police agencies then moved into action. Another 14 handguns were seized by the PSNI in Belfast. About 1,000 rounds of ammunition for the weapons was also found.
The Dutch police raided a factory in the Oud-West area of Amsterdam where the weapons had been collected that had been under surveillance for several months. The raid yielded 165 firearms. They were hidden in small safes and concrete posts and behind wooden panels. A money counter, computers, mobile phones and documents were also seized. Almost all of those involved in the conspiracy were arrested, with the exception of Meehan. His mobile phone was not found in a search of his cell. His involvement in the operation brings into question the use of telephone intercepts in criminal investigations. The justice department said it is reviewing the law on the use of surveillance and telephone intercepts, or TIs, following the recent collapse of several prosecutions linked to organised crime. In Ireland, bugged telephone conversations must be treated as “intelligence” only by gardai and cannot be used as evidence in criminal trials. Garda headquarters claim that allowing wiretaps to become admissible in court would give away “trade secrets” and alert criminals to the extent of police eavesdropping.

Maurice King III, 32, of 3555 Possum Run Road, faces four felony charges: three counts of attempted receiving stolen property

Maurice King III, 32, of 3555 Possum Run Road, faces four felony charges: three counts of attempted receiving stolen property and one count of possessing criminal tools.He also faces seven misdemeanor charges. He is accused of arranging to buy weapons from a friend and another man who supposedly had stolen the guns from Cleveland.Cindy Reed, a Mansfield Police Department crime lab technician, was asked to identify the guns that former Mansfield police Detective Eric Bosko gave to informants to show King during a sting operation. The weapons included a 12-gauge shotgun, a Glock semiautomatic pistol and a Yugoslavian SKS assault weapon with a bayonet and grenade launcher.Bosko told jurors King said he didn't alert authorities about the sale because he feared for his family's safety. However, Bosko, now a captain with the Richland County Sheriff's Department, said King couldn't explain why he called METRICH Detective Keith Porch and not the sheriff's department, which handles all calls in the jurisdiction where he resides.Defense attorney Cassandra Mayer asked Bosko about a woman, Bobby Stanford, who at the time was in Richland County Jail. Bosko said she didn't identify King by name, but in a hand-written note said the man involved in criminal activity was a Bellville cop.
Another witness for the state was Larry Davis, an inmate from Belmont Correctional Institution.Davis testified he provided a stolen laptop to King via the defendant's father, Maurice King. Davis identified a photograph of the car authorities say Maurice King III drove when he picked up stolen property. Davis told the court King paid him for some stolen Craftsman tools ordered by his father in 2008.
Terry Hitchman, King's co-counsel, asked Davis why he was testifying against King.
"Are you expecting anything?" Hitchman asked.Davis denied Hitchman's accusation that Davis wanted to "burn" King for arresting him previously in Ontario.
Jurors also viewed King's cell phone records and photographs taken inside the house. They heard from sheriff's Detective Sgt. Matt Mayer, a witness for the defense. Mayer wired the confidential informants involved in the proposed sale of guns with King.The sheriff's sergeant said officers were stationed nearby at Snow Trails, but he was stationed in the sheriff's office listening to the sting on a speaker phone, a connection he said was somewhat distorted.
In earlier testimony, Bellville police Chief Ron Willey called King a "good officer" and "aggressive."Ron Willey told jurors King, 32, contacted him Jan. 15, the same night the METRICH Enforcement Unit searched his house. It was several days after King allegedly met with two confidential informants about buying guns.Assistant Prosecutor Chris Tunnell asked Willey if King told him someone tried to sell him guns before Jan. 15."No," Willey said.Willey said the Jan. 15 conversation, when King turned in his equipment and badge, included discussions of the search warrant and property removed from his home."He told me he was accused of attempting to purchase firearms. He attempted to tell me he felt it was kind of a setup, that these people came to his house with these firearms trying to sell them," Willey said.
Willey later said King told him he was trying to string them along, that he didn't feel he could safely make an arrest himself "due to the number of people I assume ... at his home." Willey said King also told him he called Porch on his cell phone while the alleged sale of guns was taking place.
"Perhaps most damaging is what he didn't do," Tunnell said. "He does not tell his chief of what occurs, doesn't report the incident."King, who joined the Bellville Police Department in 2000, is suspended without pay. His recent performance evaluations were exemplary. His personnel file includes numerous letters of commendation.The trial will continue Tuesday before Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese. A witness for the prosecution whose driver's license was found in a closet at King's house Jan. 15 will testify. Porch is expected to testify for the defense.

Roobik Vartanian, an employee of the club, had grabbed a gun from another employee, police said. He was shouting racial slurs and obscenities

officer shot and killed an armed man who had threatened to kill 2 other men early Saturday morning, according to Tampa Police.Investigators say officer Rick Harrell and his partner were patrolling the area around 7th Avenue just before 1:30 am when they heard 35 year old Roobik Vartanian, arguing with 2 Orlando men. Investigators say the men had just been kicked out of Club Prana for banging on the walls of the bar. Vartanian, an employee of the club, had grabbed a gun from another employee, police said. He was shouting racial slurs and obscenities and threatening to kill the men when officers arrived at the scene. When officer Harrell ordered him to drop the gun, investigators say he did not comply and instead pointed the gun at Harrell. Harrell fired one shot and hit Vartanian in the stomach. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital where he later died.
Investigators say Vartanian did not have a concealed weapons permit and had 6 prior felony arrests, as well as 4 misdemeanor arrests. Neither the officers or the other men were hurt.

Police arrested Cortney Jenkins and Lateef McGann along with Montezz Lincoln and Thomas King.

Four people have been arrested in connection to a shooting early Thursday morning in Martinsburg.City police responded to reports of gun fire near East Moler Avenue and North High Street.Officers later found a car with bullet holes.
The two victims told police they got in an argument with the suspects, and that's when someone fired a gun at the car. The victims were not injured.
Police arrested Cortney Jenkins and Lateef McGann along with Montezz Lincoln and Thomas King.
Police are still investigating and say it's possible they'll make another arrest in connection with the shooting.

Dublin crime gangs were paying up to €5,000 each to import semi-automatic handguns, such as a Glock 19 or a pistol, with a magazine and 12 bullets

Dublin crime gangs were paying up to €5,000 each to import semi-automatic handguns, such as a Glock 19 or a comparable pistol, with a magazine and 12 bullets.New firearms, such as the 70plus Glock handguns seized last week, are sold at a premium, as they do not have a ballistic record that can link the user to previous criminal activity.High-quality, used semiautomatic handguns command a price of €2,500 to €3,000, which may include a quantity of ammunition.Gardaí have known for some time that handguns are often loaned or rented by the criminal community for between €300 and €500. As a result of a four-month joint Garda, PSNI and Dutch police operation called Operation Bench, 27 firearms were seized in a swoop last Tuesday on a Dublin gang which is led by a well-known organised crime figure currently in Portlaoise prison.Another 14 weapons were recovered in Belfast by PSNI detectives, and a further 165 guns were located in the Netherlands by Dutch police. Six arrests were made, including two Irish citizens, one in Dublin and one in Belfast.A spokesman for the Dutch public prosecutor’s office said that the total street value of the 165 firearms seized in Amsterdam was €1 million.

Police unearthed an arms-manufacturing unit at a remote village in Bishnupur

Following a trail after the arrest of a notorious criminal, South 24-Parganas police unearthed an arms-manufacturing unit at a remote village in Bishnupur early on Sunday. Five persons were arrested for their involvement in the gun-running racket and a huge cache of arms was recovered. The arrests proved that, apart from arms made from Munger, a major quantum of illegal arms are also produced in various parts of Bengal. Jatan Naiyer of Noorshikdarchak village had been making guns for the last five years, armed with only two tools: an iron-cutting machine and a welding machine. The village is around 18 km from Baruipur Road. Naiyer and his two sons, Biswajit and Sanjit, earned their name in the murky underworld for their products. The recent arrest of Prasant Khan, a notorious criminal of Bishnupur, along with his associate Mohan Gayen, provided the first lead in the case. Police seized two guns from them, and Jatan’s name surfaced during interrogations. According to the police, the two confessed to having bought the guns from Jatan. District police superintendent Ajey Ranade soon formed a special team and raided the village in the wee hours of Sunday. Police uncovered a small workshop behind Naiyer’s home, where eight single-barrel guns and seven short-barrel pipe guns were found, along with ammunition. A probe revealed that the 50-year-old Naiyer used to make guns from iron pipes used in bicycles and cycle vans. According to police, the gun barrels were made of iron pipes. The father-sons trio has even given a demonstration to cops as to how they made the guns. The iron-cutter was used to shape the rods into a barrel. Powerful springs were then used to attach the barrel with the trigger, made from spare nuts. The barrels were perforated with a drilling machine. Unlike other improvised guns, Jatan fixed the guns with wooden butts. “Jatan probably purchased the butts. There are a few families who do outsourced jobs for the ordnance factory. Jatan might have collected the butts from them,” said an officer. According to police, Jatan’s guns might not be very well finished, but are very useful for medium-range firing. Naiyer and his sons told police that it took them four to five days to complete a single-barrel gun. The short pipe-guns took less time. The guns sold for Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500. The long-range rifles cost Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000. Jatan was a known gun-supplier in Bishnupur and nearby areas. The Naiyers confessed that in last year, they had made more than 50 guns and had recently started supplying ammunition also. The trio, however, denied making small arms, as these need good quality metal, which is very costly and not easily accessible. Police claimed that criminals from other districts also collected arms from Jatan. Months ago, a similar gun manufacturer was nabbed at Basanti after a clash between RSP and CPM. “There are several units like Jatan’s in South 24-Parganas who supply arms to local criminals at rates cheaper than Munger-made guns,” said a senior police officer. “It is an important catch. We are grilling all five to get details about local criminals and gun-runners.

cold-blooded killing of Timothy MacPherson said to be a gangland execution

Detectives investigating the cold-blooded killing of Timothy MacPherson – said to be a gangland execution – arrested a 31-year-old man on Monday night.The 29-year-old was shot in the neck and stomach on July 2, 2004, just weeks after being released early from a two-year jail term for selling cocaine and cannabis.Three binmen discovered his body in the yard of a house on Acre Lane, Derker, near Oldham.Three men were all acquitted of murder after a trial in 2006 and no-one has been convicted over the killing.Macpherson, of Pinewood Avenue, Lancaster, had a history of involvement with cocaine, heroin and other banned narcotics and had a criminal record for 14 drug offences.

Mark Sebastian, 46, faces multiple gun charges in connection what authorities said was the exchange of guns to settle a drug debt

Mark Sebastian, 46, faces multiple gun charges in connection what authorities said was the exchange of guns to settle a drug debt. Sebastian is the vice-chairman of the North Stonington-based tribe. Sebastian was arraigned Tuesday in New London court where he entered a not guilty plea to three counts of illegal transfer of a pistol or revolver and three counts of purchasing a firearm with intent to transfer it to a person prohibited from possessing a gun. All of the charges are felonies.
In 2005, authorities said Sebastian purchased three handguns for his cousin, convicted felon Calvin Sebastian, according to the arrest warrant affidavit prepared by a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Mark Sebastian owed his cousin $1,000 for cocaine, police said.
Calvin Sebastian, 37, authorities said, later traded two of the guns to satisfy his own drug debt.The arrest was the result of an investigation by the ATF, Drug Enforcement Administration and Norwich, Groton and New London police departments.
Held on a $250,000 bond, Sebastian is due back in court on Sept. 11.

Lindani Buthelezi, 30, was believed to be responsible for Wednesday's murder of Kranskop station commissioner Superintendent Zethembe Chonco

Lindani Buthelezi, 30, was believed to be responsible for Wednesday's murder of Kranskop station commissioner Superintendent Zethembe Chonco, ambushed in his car while in a convoy taking suspects to court.Safety, security and community liaison MEC Bheki Cele had last month expressed concern that there were a shadowy band of hitmen behind the taxi violence plaguing the province. Chonco was appointed by Cele to head up the taxi task team, part of the organised crime unit in the province. He was investigating recent taxi violence between KwaDukuza and KwaMaphumulo associations.Members of the police's Operation Greed team, who tracked down Buthelezi, are also investigating the murder of Senior Supt Frans Bothma, murdered in KwaMashu on Tuesday night.Cele said he was aware that a suspect, wanted in connection with Chonco's murder, was killed on Wednesday morning.
"This will not bring back a fallen officer but we will make sure we catch the remaining suspects. Another policeman was killed in KwaMashu on Tuesday night. It is clear that thugs have declared war on police and we will not take it lying down," he said.Cele paid his condolences to the Bothma family.Police sources said they received information that Buthelezi was hiding in a house in Stanger."Two policemen entered the house first, followed by another three officers. Buthelezi ran out of his room and into another part of the house. "When confronted by police he pulled out a gun from a suitcase and fired at two of the officers," the source said. Police returned fire, killing Buthelezi.Buthelezi has been linked to recent taxi violence between the Cato Manor and Chesterville taxi associations and has been described by high ranking investigators as a "dangerous hired-gunman".Last month 10 taxis were shot at, a taxi driver was shot in the arm and a taxi landed on the roof of a house in Dunbar Road, Cato Manor as the two associations fought over taxi routes.
"We know that hitmen were planning to take Chonco out the Friday before he was murdered.""When Chonco arrested two people from the Maphumulo taxi association, the killers knew he would be taking the suspects to court."Chonco was escorting prisoners from Kranskop to the Stanger Magistrate's Court last week when he was ambushed by gunmen hiding at the side of the road. Inspector Mphatheni Khanyile, who was with Chonco, was also shot several times and is in a critical condition in hospital. At least 25 bullets penetrated Chonco's car, which was the last in a convoy of three vehicles heading to court. Police said Chonco managed to kill one of the suspects.Earlier this year, Cele paid tribute to the best crime-fighters in the country, including Chonco, at a ceremony held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre." He was highly effective in what he did, as can be seen by the award. "He was one of the best officers South Africa has seen. It wasn't an award that was chosen to be awarded to him by a panel. It came from the people he served," Cele said.Speaking recently about the violence in Cato Manor and Chesterville Cele called for taxi rank security guards to be fired and said they were the cause of violence in the industry.Most recently, the work of Chonco had led to the arrests of a number of suspects in a case where a member of the Empangeni dog unit, Inspector Wayne Saunders, was killed.

weapons, 165 in total, were found following a planned raid on a metal factory in Amsterdam and searches at three houses.

Dutch police said today they are questioning three men and a woman after seizing a massive cache of weapons in Amsterdam as part of an international investigation into organised crime in Ireland.The 165 firearms were put on display in Amsterdam as gardaí in Dublin revealed arms seized as part of the same operation in Dublin on Tuesday night.The Dublin cache was described as the biggest haul of gangland weaponry in the history of the State following the four-month international operation into the activities of a leading Dublin criminal.Forty-one firearms, mostly destined for crime gangs in Dublin and Limerick, were seized in the operation which involved police and customs from the Republic, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands.The investigation, codenamed Operation Bench, also resulted in the seizure of heroin and cannabis valued at €4.2 million in a car near Dublin airport on Tuesday.Some 27 weapons were found in the same vehicle with another 14 guns recovered in Belfast by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Ammunition for the weapons, totalling about 1,000 rounds, was also found.A total of three people were held by gardaí and another in Belfast.Police in Amsterdam said today they had also detained four after they found the weapons haul in an office building. It included Glock pistols, Steyr sub-machine guns and silencers.The men - aged 41, 42, and 53 - and a 27-year-old woman have not been identified, but Dutch police said they were arrested on suspicion of possession and sale of illegal firearms.The National Prosecutor’s Office said the arrests followed a tip-off from authorities in Northern Ireland who, along with the Garda, have led a crackdown on a drug and gun trafficking gang operating across Europe.The three arrested men are Dutch, while the woman is Brazilian.The weapons, 165 in total, were found following a planned raid on a metal factory in Amsterdam and searches at three houses.Seventy guns were found in plastic shopping bags lying in the back of a car in a car park beside the factory. The rest of the cache was found hidden in the basement. Thousands of rounds of ammunition were also seized.A spokesman for the Dutch National Prosecutor’s Office said: “A lot of the guns were brand new, including five machine guns.” Some €20,000 in cash was also seized by Dutch police.

Thong Sengmany, 28, and Megan Dotson, 23, were in a car driven by Sengmany when the vehicle was pulled over by the Gang Violence Suppress Unit

Thong Sengmany, 28, and Megan Dotson, 23, were in a car driven by Sengmany when the vehicle was pulled over by the department's Gang Violence Suppression Unit.
A loaded gun, later determined to have been stolen, was found in the vehicle, Gorman said. Sengmany and Dotson, both identified as convicted felons, were arrested on suspicion of being felons in possession of a gun.Sengmany was also arrested for violating parole, and Dotson was wanted on an outstanding felony arrest warrant, Gorman said.

Roberto Cervantes died at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday in a San Francisco Bay Area hospital after he was shot several times in the upper body.

55-year-old man is the latest casualty of gang violence in Salinas and the city's 18th homicide victim this year. His death was the result of one of three shootings in Monterey County in a two-hour period late Tuesday.
Roberto Cervantes died at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday in a San Francisco Bay Area hospital after he was shot several times in the upper body. Salinas police said he was wounded about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday outside his house in the 500 block of West Alisal Street. Investigators did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday and few details about the shooting have been released. Officers have said the slaying is being probed as a gang crime. They have not said if Cervantes was the intended target, nor have they elaborated on circumstances surrounding the shooting. Residents in the area, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, told The Herald they saw a car, possibly a late-model Nissan with tinted windows, speeding away moments after gunshots were heard. All but one of Salinas' homicide victims this year have been Latino males, who were shot. The non-shooting victim was a 46-year-old woman who was allegedly stabbed to death by her boyfriend. With four months left, this year is already the deadliest since 2004, when police reported 20 homicides for the entire year. The city has seen scores of other shootings this year. The second shooting Tuesday occurred about an hour and a half after Cervantes was shot, when officers responded to reports of gunfire in a North Salinas neighborhood. A 24-year-old man and a minor were shot several times in the upper body just after 10 p.m. in the 2100 block of Perez Street. The man's wounds were life-threatening and he was flown to a San Francisco Bay Area hospital. The 17-year-old was treated at a local hospital, police said. Officers did not release updated information on the man's condition Wednesday. They said it was unknown if the attack was gang-motivated or connected to Cervantes' shooting. In the past week there have been an additional four suspected gang shootings that injured five people in the city. But gang violence has not been isolated to Salinas. In the third shooting Tuesday, a 25-year-old woman was shot in the face about 10:30 p.m. in Soledad.
Police Chief Richard Cox said more than 20 rounds were fired at the house in the 400 block of San Diego Place during a drive-by shooting. Several people, including children, were in the house. The attack appears to be gang-related, police said.
The injured woman, who was not identified, was taken to a Salinas hospital and is expected to survive, Cox said. Few people have come forward with information about the shooting, and Cox said he worries about by-standers who might get caught in the middle. "There were kids in the house," he said.

four Glock 19C semi-automatic pistols converted to fire fully automatically, along with accessories such as magazines and speed-loaders.

27 weapons and drugs seized when gardaí stopped a car near Dublin airport on Tuesday were displayed for the media at Garda Headquarters at Phoenix Park.The haul included four types of firearms. Among them were four Glock 19C semi-automatic pistols converted to fire fully automatically, along with accessories such as magazines and speed-loaders. These sub-machine guns are capable of firing up to 1,000 rounds of ammunition a minute, detectives said.There were also 15 Glock 19 semi-automatic pistols, six Beretta 19 semi-automatic pistols with sound-suppressors, two Smith & Wesson model 60 revolvers and 50 rounds of ammunition.
All were “military and police-spec weapons”, detectives said. Gardaí could not indicate whether the guns were all new as they have not been ballistically tested. However, they said that all of them were “in very good condition and ready to be deployed”.The weapons will all be sent for ballistics tests over the coming days.
Along with the guns, gardaí displayed more than a dozen shrink-wrapped blocks of heroin and about eight bags of herbal cannabis, alongside three holdall bags.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Bench, resulted in the seizure of heroin and cannabis valued at €4.2 million in a car near Dublin airport on Tuesday.
Twenty-seven weapons were found in the same vehicle and another 14 guns were recovered in Belfast by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Ammunition for the weapons, totalling about 1,000 rounds, was also found.
The firearms, believed to be destined for criminal gangs in Dublin and Limerick, were seized in an operation involving police and customs officers from the Republic, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands.