Drug smuggler Shaheed Roger Khan was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on charges of drug smuggling, witness tampering and gun possession

Drug smuggler Shaheed Roger Khan was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on charges of drug smuggling, witness tampering and gun possession in Vermont at 3 pm today at the US Eastern District Court in Brooklyn.Justice Dora L. Irizarry, imposing the sentences after a one-hour summation, said that they would run concurrently, which means that Khan will only serve 15 years in prison.Prior to handing down the long-awaited sentence, Justice Irizarry read three letters from Sheila Waddell, Harry Rampersaud and an anonymous person, which pleaded with her to impose a longer sentence than the 15 years offered to Khan as part of his plea bargain deal, given the heinous crimes he had committed. However she said that while she considered their pain and that of others affected by his operations, it should be recognized that in Khan’s case an acquittal was also possible had it gone to trial.
Prosecutor Shannon Jones had earlier said the same thing, noting that it should not be viewed as 15 years as opposed to 25 or 40 years, but 15 years as opposed to an acquittal.Before imposing sentence, Justice Irizarry asked Khan to make a statement.
Standing, the cleanly-shaven convict smiled and waved to his family and relatives in the courtroom. Addressing the court, Khan apologized to the citizens of the United States of America for the pain his actions might have caused them. Turning to his family, he apologized to them as well for any pain he might have caused them. He did not as much as mention Guyana or Guyanese.He then thanked his attorneys John Bergendahl and Diarmuid White for “being men of integrity” and said the US should be proud of them.As he left the court, Khan waved to his wife who said “Rog, I love you.”

Police found a semi-automatic pistol in Titus Dawson’s bedroom

police found a semi-automatic pistol in Titus Dawson’s bedroom March 6, he initially claimed a burglar must have placed it there.That defense only went so far.
At his trial in Albany County Court this week, he took another route — that the weapon was being held for a friend to be returned to a gun buy-back program in Albany.Both Dawson, 26, and the friend are convicted drug dealers, the gun was found next to marijuana residue, as well as digital scales, $8,000 in cash and a ninth-month old newspaper article, but the defendant’s pal still took the stand and made his case.It was just not one a jury would believe .Dawson, 26, of Lark Drive, was convicted late Thursday of third-degree weapon possession, a felony carrying 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison.Police had noticed the gun while responding to a burglary alarm at Dawson’s home. When they arrived they spotted the pistol, as well as a large amount of marijuana in the bedroom.They returned and arrested Dawson after getting a search warrant. The gun and other belongings (which prosecutors say showed evidence of a homegrown marijuana operation) were discovered near a nine-month old Times Union newspaper article about gang shootings in Albany.The defense argued Dawson’s friend, a convicted crack dealer, stumbled upon the gun a day earlier while outdoors in Albany — and decided to leave it with Dawson. He said they planned to give it to the Rev. Charlie Muller of the Victory Christian Church in Albany, who runs the buy-back program.But Assistant District Attorney David Gonzalez, who prosecuted the case, noted no effort was ever made by either man to contact Muller.
“There is only so much that we can do with the legal system,” Gonzalez told jurors in closing arguments. “Use common sense.”Dawson, who has a past conviction for third-degree drug dealing, will be sentenced by acting Supreme Court Justice Dan Lamont on Dec. 11.

Weapons of choice for gangsters are the Russian-made 9mm Baikal pistol which is smuggled into the UK from illegal factories in Lithuania

Weapons of choice for gangsters are the Russian-made 9mm Baikal pistol which is smuggled into the UK from illegal factories in Lithuania and the Mac-10 sub-machine pistol.
A sub-machine gun is believed to have been used in the suspected gang war murder of 21-year-old Turkish shop worker Cem Duzgun two weeks ago.
There have also been warnings about girls and children carrying weapons for boyfriends or older gang members. Earlier this year a 14-year-old boy was convicted of possessing a gun, a silencer and ammunition. The weapon was found in his bedroom in Lewisham when he was just 13.
The number of guns being seized in London has risen steadily in recent years. In the whole of 2002 just 1,000, including imitation guns, were recovered. This year, up until the end of July 985 were seized. Police say that by this month the total will have reached more than 1,000.
Of the 985, 217 were 'live-firing' weapons - 136 handguns, 72 shotguns and nine sub-machineguns. The rest are believed to be BB guns, replicas or other 'non-live firing'

'respect' shootings where it seems the gunmen do not intend to kill.

Gun crime in London has soared due to a new wave of teenage 'respect' shootings, the Metropolitan Police said today.Crimes where teenagers choose to use firearms to settle disputes over slights to their reputation or other minor disagreements are becoming increasingly common.
The new phenomenon sees gunmen intending to injure their victims rather than kill. Criminals aim at a rival's legs and leave them with 'war wounds'.
Police figures say that there have been 72 such shootings, double the number for last year. Commander Martin Hewitt said the inclination to use 'extreme levels of violence for seemingly very little reason' was a new phenomenon.
He said that when Operation Trident began investigating gun crime in the black community most shootings were an 'offshoot' of criminal activity.
Police have seized more than 1,000 guns in London so far this year. While overall youth violence is falling, police say there is a rise in gun crime and, in particular, the number of non-fatal shootings involving turf wars.
Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson linked rising gun crime in the capital with feuding gangs. Met figures show a 14 per cent rise in gun crime in London over four months during the summer.
There has been a spate of 'drive-by' and other targeted shootings, apparently connected to gang and other criminal disputes. Many offences are said to be 'intimated' where someone claims or threatens to have a gun but a weapon is not seen.
However, police are highlighting a new trend of 'respect' shootings where it seems the gunmen do not intend to kill.

Bullets flying from the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill" in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro tore into the helicopter and hit the pilot

Bullets flying from the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill" in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro tore into the helicopter and hit the pilot in the leg as he hovered above the shootout, causing him to lose control and crash.
Two officers died, while the pilot and three other policemen escaped after the craft hit the ground on a football field and burst into flames. The pilot and a second officer suffered burns and bullet wounds. The other two officers also were burned, one gravely, said Mario Sergio Duarte, head of Rio state's military police.
Officials did not know whether the gangs targeted the helicopter or whether it was hit by stray bullets, but the event underscored security concerns that have dogged Brazil's second-largest city for decades.
Despite the mayhem, officials defended Rio's ability to control violence ahead of the Olympics as well as before 2014, when Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament with key games in Rio.
"In choosing the city, they already knew about the work that's being carried out and will continue in the area of (crime) prevention," Justice Minister Tarso Genro told the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency.
Rio state Gov. Sergio Cabral grimly told reporters that Rio's security challenges can't be cured "by magic in the short term," but he said money is being poured into programs to reduce crime and authorities are prepared to mount an overwhelming security presence at the sporting events to ensure safety.
"We told the International Olympic Committee that this won't be an easy thing, and they know that," Cabral said. "We can put 40,000 people on the streets — federal, state and municipal police — and pull off the event."
Duarte said it was unlikely that traffickers fired an anti-aircraft missile at the helicopter, though such weapons have been found in the hideouts of Rio's drug traffickers along with other heavy, military-grade arms such as grenade launchers and .50-caliber machine guns.
The pilot was able to make a somewhat controlled, though extremely rough landing, which would have been unlikely if the aircraft had been hit by a heavy weapon, Duarte said.
Police said 10 presumed traffickers were killed during the fighting in the slum, including three suspects found dead inside a vehicle. Officials gave no details on how the other seven died.
They said at least eight buses were set on fire in nearby slums as the shootouts raged. Television images showed motorists fleeing for cover as automatic-weapons fire crackled in broad daylight amid the worst violence the city has seen in months.
Images broadcast by Globo TV showed flames shooting from the helicopter wreckage, with little more than charred pieces and an intact tail remaining after the fire was doused.

Drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter during a gunbattle between rival gangs Saturday

Drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter during a gunbattle between rival gangs Saturday, killing two officers and injuring four in a burst of violence just two weeks after the city was chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
Ten suspected drug traffickers were also killed during the fighting in a shantytown, and two bystanders were injured, officials said.

Gunmen started shooting as they entered the bar in Toa Baja, near the capital San Juan,

Gunmen started shooting as they entered the bar in Toa Baja, near the capital San Juan, prompting several customers to pull out guns and return fire. Seven people were killed and some 20 injured, including a pregnant woman who lost her eight-month-old unborn child. It is one of the most violent single incidents in Puerto Rico in many years. Three people were found dead inside the nightclub and another three were killed just outside, prosecutor Wanda Vazquez said. The seventh victim died in hospital. Investigators suspect the killing was linked to a turf war between drug gangs. "We can't be certain that this was drug-related, but the way it played out appears that it was," Ms Vazquez said. Puerto Rico is a key shipment point in the Caribbean for illegal drugs being smuggled into the US, because as a US territory it is free from customs checks.

Jamaica handguns, rifles and bullets that stoke one of the world's highest murder rates.

Handguns, rifles and bullets that stoke one of the world's highest murder rates.
The volume is much less than the flow of U.S. guns into Mexico that end up in the hands of drug cartels -- Jamaican authorities recover fewer than 1,000 firearms a year. But of those whose origin can be traced, 80 percent come from the U.S., Jamaican law enforcement officials have said in interviews with The Associated Press.
And as the Obama administration cracks down on smuggling into Mexico, Jamaicans fear even more firearms will reach the gangs whose turf wars plague the island of 2.8 million people.''It's going to push a lot of that trade back toward the Caribbean like it was back in the '80s,'' said Vance Callender, an attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).U.S. authorities are beginning to target the Jamaican gun-smuggling network as part of a broad effort to boost security in the Caribbean.But they have a long way to go. Jamaican authorities have confiscated only 100 guns coming into ports in the last five years, along with 6,000 rounds of ammunition. That in turn is just a fraction of the 700 or so weapons confiscated on the streets each year.Authorities know they're only seeing ''the tip of the iceberg,'' said Mark Shields, Jamaica's deputy police commissioner.With arsenals to rival police firepower, the gangs are blamed for 90 percent of the homicides in Jamaica -- 1,611 last year, about 10 times more than the U.S. rate, relative to population.Unlike in Mexico, the vast majority of Jamaican guns seized are submitted for tracing. Jamaica and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives find most of the seized weapons come from three Florida counties -- Orange, Dade and Broward -- all with large Jamaican populations, according to Shields.X-ray scanners were installed two years ago at Jamaican ports, but the gangs use bribery and intimidation to get their shipments past inspectors.In April, a newly hired customs supervisor had his tires slashed and days later was shot at on his way home from work, authorities say. The man was known for his strict scrutiny of cargo coming into a gang-infiltrated warehouse on the Kingston wharf.When the gangs apply pressure, ''no one says no,'' said Danville Walker, Jamaica's commissioner of customs.

Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire sentenced to life in prison by a judge in Florida.

Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire sentenced to life in prison by a judge in Florida.In June 2006, Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire, killed Tracy Bennawit, 33, because he discovered that she had a new boyfriend. He then fled back to the UK and tried to join the French Foreign Legion to avoid being caught.Bridgeman, who said Bennawit "threw me out like garbage" when their relationship turned sour, eventually gave himself up after a manhunt across Europe. He was extradited to the US, where a jury took less than six hours to convict him of murder on Friday night after a week-long trial."It's the verdict he deserved," said Adam Strickland, Bennawit's boyfriend, who was shot in the chest and seriously wounded in the ambush. Bennawit's son, Caelin, 14, witnessed the attack but was not hurt.Lawyers for Bridgeman, who was also Bennawit's business partner in a failed video game shop, argued unsuccessfully that their client was guilty only of manslaughter because he acted in the heat of passion.

Oscar Segura, 23, of Santa Ana.shot to death Thursday afternoon

A man shot to death Thursday afternoon was identified today by police as Oscar Segura, 23, of Santa Ana.Police were called to South Standard Avenue and Beverly Place just before 3:30 p.m. with reports of a person shot. They didn't find anyone at that corner, but did find a wounded man in the 800 block of East Normandy Place, a block to the south.Segura was taken to Western Medical Center, where he died around 45 minutes later.Police are investigating the shooting as a gang-related attack.Norma Prado, who is Segura’s cousin once removed, said that Segura was going to the store to get ready to watch the Los Angeles Lakers game with friends and his uncle when he was hit by a bullet.One of the shots hit his liver and then pierced his heart, Prado said. “He was always very loving, a very likable person,” Prado said. “I don't think he had any enemies that I knew of.”“At the hospital, the doctors did everything they could, but he had lost a lot of blood and nothing could be done for him,” Prado said. “All I can say about him is that he was a wonderful person – never was disrespectful to any one of us, very polite.”Segura’s neighbor Amanda Gallegos was shocked to hear the news. She used to say hi when she’d see Segura taking a walk with his daughter.Segura was known for helping out senior citizens in the neighborhood, she said.“Everybody really liked him,” Gallegos said. “He’s not a person I’d say was in a gang. He wasn’t full of tattoos, and you’d never see him with that type of crowd. He was very helping to the neighborhood and never expected anything in return.”

17-year old suspect in the shooting deaths of two men during a running gun battle on Interstate 75 in March was arrested today

17-year old suspect in the shooting deaths of two men during a running gun battle on Interstate 75 in March was arrested today, Evendale police said.Details on where the teen was taken into custody were not immediately available. The teen's name has not been released by authorities. He lives in Springdale.The shootings occurred after a dispute early March 18 in Garage Sports Bar & Grill in Sharonville. The argument continued on the highway. Evendale police have said the teen was nearby and became involved in the highway chase and shootings.Two 25-year-old Westwood men, Keith Cobb and Scott Neblett Jr., were found dead inside a Chevrolet Blazer that had been riddled with bullets. Both had extensive criminal records, mostly involving drug offenses.The SUV flipped twice and landed upright. Marijuana and a 9 mm gun were found inside.When Evendale police announced charges against the teen last month, they said another arrest was expected. It was not clear today if that second suspect has been caught.

victim has not been named 28-year-old man with gunshot wounds who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police were called to Fulham Court, a block of flats on Fulham Road, Fulham, at around 7pm on Thursday night after reports of shots being fired.Armed police and ambulance crews found a 28-year-old man with gunshot wounds who was pronounced dead at the scene.No arrests have been made in connection with the death.
The victim has not been named.

Jamaican hitman has been brought to T&T to assassinate head of the North Eastern Divisional Task Force Sgt Roger Alexander.

Jamaican hitman has been brought to T&T to assassinate head of the North Eastern Divisional Task Force Sgt Roger Alexander. Members of the Special Anti-Crime Unit (Sautt) and officers of the Repeat Offenders Programme (Rope) reportedly unearthed the plot. Yesterday, Alexander confirmed that he had been informed of the plot and a report has been submitted to acting Police Commissioner James Philbert and head of the North Eastern Division Senior Supt Theophilus Cummings.Police sources said they received information last Friday that a prime suspect, implicated in the killing of Sean “Bill” Francis, was responsible for hiring the hitman. Investigating officers believe the hitman had been hiding out somewhere in Laventille Road, San Juan. Police were up to late yesterday searching for him. Investigators said the plot was unearthed after the Morvant Police Station was flooded with calls regarding the Jamaican national. The callers, police said, warned that a “hefty” price had been put on Alexander’s head.“The calls became more and more disturbing...They described how Alexander would be killed and it was definitely not something we could have ignored,” one investigator said. He said lawmen were also told that police officers in Jamaica were “dealt with differently.” Alexander, who worked at the then Organised Crime, Narcotics Unit (OCNU) has been instrumental in the arrest of several murder suspects within the North Eastern Division. Last Friday, Alexander and his team of officers recovered the gun which they believed had been used in the killing of Francis’ 25-year-old nephew Nathaniel. The younger Francis, of Vegas in Morvant, went on a robbery with another man at Cipriani Avenue, Morvant, but was instead confronted by irate villagers and shot and killed with his own gun.
There had been several attempts in the past by unknown people to kill Alexander. In one instance black magic was used to issue a warning. Alexander’s name was written in blood on a piece of paper which was tied to rotting chicken feet and nailed to a utility pole in Morvant. But the threats have had no impact on Alexander. “At the end of the day, the work must go on and I am definitely not afraid. I will continue to do my duty and continue to bring criminals to justice,” Alexander said.

Handgun, ammunition and cannabis were recovered in the 5am raid at an address in Olympic Close

Police in Luton have arrested four people after a dawn raid as part of a crackdown on gun crime in the town. A handgun, ammunition and cannabis were recovered in the 5am raid at an address in Olympic Close and three men aged 19, 21 and 28 and a 19-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. All four are now being held at Luton Police Station for questioning. Leading the raid this morning, Det Chief Insp Irene Meehan, said: "Beds Police and the people of Bedfordshire will not tolerate gun crime. The success of this operation today is a credit to those members of the community who have shown bravery and given information that the police have been able to act upon. "I would encourage anyone with information about gun crime to either speak to the police or if they are not comfortable in doing this then they can contact Crimestoppers, completely anonymously, and be assured that all information received will be acted upon."

US Airways employee and passenger are being questioned after an unloaded handgun was discovered aboard a Phoenix-bound flight

US Airways employee and passenger are being questioned after an unloaded handgun was discovered aboard a Phoenix-bound flight originating in Philadelphia, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. Souces say a passenger allegedly handed a bag containing the weapon to an airline employee, who bypassed the security screening before giving it back to the passenger, reports Orr. Ammunition was also found on the plane. Another passenger saw the suspicious hand-off and alerted authorities. The gun was found during a subsequent search of the plane. The flight taxied back to the gate and all the passengers were removed, reports Orr. Sources says the incident appears to be isolated and is not related to terrorism. Investigators do not believe the suspected passenger intended to use the gun on the flight but was simply trying to elude security in order to carry the weapon to Phoenix, reports Orr. The FBI, Transportation Security Administration and Philadelphia law enforcement are investigating the incident. No charges have been filed.

Ernesto Murillo, 26 Southern California gang member was sentenced to 110 years in prison for shooting a 6-year-old boy last year.

Southern California gang member was sentenced to 110 years in prison for shooting a 6-year-old boy last year.The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that Ernesto Murillo, 26, pleaded guilty in March to three counts of attempted murder, five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle in connection with the shooting.Murillo also admitted he was a gang member, the newspaper said.Laverya Elzy was shot in the head. Five adults and two other children in the vehicle were not hurt in the incident. The (Torrence, Calif.) Daily Breeze reported that Lavareay attends school, and still has significant pain from the bullet that is still in his brain. "You can't ever erase what happened," Lavareay's mother, Trina Cooper, said. "I'll forgive him, but never forget," she said of Murillo.

Trinidad Cuecass, 20, of the 8300 block of South Brandon Avenue, was shot on the 8300 block of South Brandon Avenue

Trinidad Cuecass, 20, of the 8300 block of South Brandon Avenue, was shot on the 8300 block of South Brandon Avenue and died early Wednesday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The medical examiner’s office did not have a pronouncement time immediately. Cuecass was shot about 1 a.m. and was dead on the scene with a gunshot wound to the head after an unknown black man walked up behind him, shot him in the head and fled to a waiting black vehicle, according to a release from police News Affairs. No one was in custody and Calumet Area detectives are investigating the shooting, which appears gang related, according to the release.

Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand — underwent operations for gunshot wounds, but Nand died early Monday

Sikh preacher died Monday after being wounded in an attack on his temple by a group of fundamentalist Sikhs armed with knives and a handgun, police said. India's prime minister appealed for calm as riots protesting the deadly shooting spread to several northern Indian cities.Witnesses said the Vienna temple attended by lower-caste Sikhs had been attacked by fundamentalist Sikhs from a higher caste, who accused one or both of the preachers of being disrespectful of the religion's Holy Book.
The attack set off a brawl that wounded 16. It was not clear whether some of the weapons used were kirpans — ceremonial daggers that may legally be worn by Sikhs in Austria.Two preachers — identified by Indian diplomats as Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand — underwent operations for gunshot wounds, but Nand died early Monday, according to a police official who declined to identify himself on the telephone, in line with Austrian custom.

Australia woman's account of a late night shooting in Sydney has turned her into an Internet sensation with T-shirts, mugs and a dance remix made

Australia woman's account of a late night shooting in Sydney has turned her into an Internet sensation with T-shirts, mugs and a dance remix made in her honor but there's just one problem -- she made it up.Sydney woman Clare Werbeloff's dramatic account of a shooting, with her "chk chk boom" firing of a gun and imitation of the men involved, made her an overnight hit on video sharing website YouTube, prompting about 500,000 viewings.The 19-year-old has since received invitations to appear on various TV shows and even the offer of a bikini photo shoot.But the Australian media were left red-faced when the first task of Werbeloff's newly hired agent Adam Abrams was to admit his client did not actually witness the shooting, and told police that she made the story up for a TV camera on site.Abrams told Australian media that Werbeloff would not detail her reasons for fabricating the story but denied the video was an advertising setup. Werbeloff had gone into hiding after media camped outside her home.The 27-year-old victim of the shooting, Sydneysider Justin Kallu, was not amused as he nursed a wounded knee."I'm just a bit upset about the fact that I've been shot and that I almost lost my life and there's this girl all over the news getting popular, all because she has no brains," Kallu said in emailed comments to newspapers.

Man shot multiple times Saturday night in North Philadelphia.

Homicide detectives said yesterday they were investigating the death of a man who was shot multiple times Saturday night in North Philadelphia.The man, whom authorities did not identify, was shot about 8:30 p.m. at 20th and Susquehanna Streets. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he died at 6:02 a.m. yesterday.The death marked the 111th homicide in Philadelphia this year, police said.

Three men were shot in Tacoma late Friday after being confronted by another man

Three men were shot in Tacoma late Friday after being confronted by another man while walking along a street and are in stable condition in local hospitals, Tacoma police reported.Three men were arrested and jailed in connection with the shooting, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said Saturday.The shooting occurred around 11:20 p.m. Friday in South Tacoma along South 51st Street, between Pine and Junett streets.
Fulghum said the shooting appears to be gang-related but he would not say why police believe that’s so.The three men, all 21, were walking along South 51st Street when they were confronted by another man, Fulghum said. After a brief exchange, the man shot all three men – one to two times each in the torso – with a handgun, Fulghum said. About a half-dozen shots were fired.A vehicle then fled the scene. About 25 minutes later, Lakewood police stopped that vehicle at 92nd Street and South Tacoma Way. Tacoma police arrested three men who were in the vehicle, two 18-year-olds and a 19-year-old, on suspicion of first-degree assault. They were booked into Pierce County Jail. Police believe one of the three was the shooter, Fulghum said. Two of the shooting victims were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center and one was transported to Madigan Army Medical Center. Fulghum said the three are expected to survive.

19-year-old man was shot in the neck during what appears to be a gang-related attack

19-year-old man was shot in the neck during what appears to be a gang-related attack, police said.The shooting occurred at 8:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of West Neighbors Avenue, near Euclid Street and La Palma Avenue, said Anaheim police Sgt. Juan Reveles.Officers responding to the area regarding an assault with a deadly weapon didn't find the victim. He had been taken to a hospital by a female resident. The hospital called police regarding a shooting victim and he was taken to a trauma center, Reveles said.The victim's injuries were non-critical and his condition has stabilized, Reveles said.Police said the victim was walking on Neighbors Avenue when a vehicle pulled up and two men jumped out. The men approached him and one of them shot the victim in the neck as he was running away, Reveles said. The suspects are described as having shaved heads and wearing baggy clothing. A description of the vehicle was not immediately available, Reveles said.

Four men have been arrested after a home robbery in south Wichita left two victims with gunshot wounds

Four men have been arrested after a home robbery in south Wichita left two victims with gunshot wounds sometime after 1:30 a.m. today, police said.Police patrolling the area after receiving a report of shots overheard near Harry and Washington at about 1:42 a.m. heard more shots and then spotted a vehicle speeding from the area, Lt. Todd Ojile said.A brief chase ensued before four suspects bailed from the vehicle and were taken into custody near Ida and Zimmerly with the help of a Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office K-9 dog, Ojile said.At about the same time, a caller reported a shooting victim at 1450 S. Mosley. A 56-year-old man was hit by a bullet after he saw people taking property and yelled at them to get out of the neighborhood, Ojile said.As police were investigating the robbery, they learned that the resident of the house, a 20-year-old man, ran from the house after the robbers burst in. He was shot in the leg as he fled.Both men are expected to recover from their wounds, Ojile said.

Brooklyn man was in critical condition after he was shot several times in the chest during a morning fight inside a bodega

Brooklyn man was in critical condition after he was shot several times in the chest during a morning fight inside a bodega, police said.The victim got into an argument with another man inside the Church Avenue Grill in East Flatbush just before 9 a.m., police said. The disagreement soon became physical, and the two men began shoving each other inside the store, a bodega employee said. "Are you pressing me?" one man said to the other, the bodega worker recalled. That man then pulled out a handgun and fired several shots, hitting the victim in the chest. The bodega worker called 911, and paramedics rushed the bleeding man, who was not identified, to Kings County Hospital. The gunman ran from the store and remains at large. Investigators were not immediately certain if the men knew each other before their violent encounter, police said.

Steve Weber is suspected of fatally shooting his ex-wife, 47-year-old Francesca Weber, at her Fitchburg apartment last Saturday.

Dozens of federal and local agents, some wearing camouflage, set up a perimeter around a Madison park Tuesday after a murder suspect's vehicle was discovered nearby. Police say a pickup truck believed to be owned by Steve Weber was found Tuesday morning near the wooded Hoyt Park. Staff, children and others at the Madison School & Community Recreation building in Hoyt School near the park were ordered to stay inside with doors locked. Weber is suspected of fatally shooting his ex-wife, 47-year-old Francesca Weber, at her Fitchburg apartment last Saturday.

Former Gypsy Jokers bikie president Lennard Kirby and associate Alexandro Scilio shooting

Five people are being questioned by police over the shooting of former Gypsy Jokers bikie president Lennard Kirby and associate Alexandro Scilio.Assistant Commissioner (Specialist Crime) Wayne Gregson said the five were "helping police with their inquiries'' over the bikie shooting in Jandakot.Two of the five are injured and have been taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. It is not known how badly hurt they are, or how they sustained their injuries.A man and a woman went with police to Curtin House, the City detectives headquarters in Stirling Street.A fifth person remained with police at the hotel in Joondalup. Police detained the five people at the Joondalup City Hotel earlier today. Mr Gregson said police had been speaking with the five people since 1.30pm today, but no charges had been laid. Kirby, who has served time in prison for drug offences, was shot three times in the chest and is in a stable condition in Royal Perth Hospital. The other man, Alexandro Scilio, was shot in the arm. The injury is not life-threatening.Scilio is an associate of Kirby and has also been convicted of drug offences.The men were shot at a house in Jandakot at about 4.20pm yesterday and were taken to hospital in the back of a ute by club associates.Mr Gregson said police do not believe the incident was as a result of gang conflict.He would not say if police had recovered a firearm. ``At this stage of our investigation it would appear the parties are known to each other and the matter is a dispute over drugs,'' he said. ``Both victims are convicted criminals relating to illegal drugs. ``There is no suggestion that this incident is a result of bikie gang conflict. ``It is not a bikie war. "It would appear that this incident, although involving a member of a bikie gang, is unlikely to escalate.
"However, it must be remembered that outlaw motorcycle gangs are organised criminal groups that are unpredictable.'' Police were called to the house in Peppworth Place, a semi-rural street in the southern suburb, after reports of gunfire.Tactical Response Group officers completed a search of the property about 9pm.``Investigations of this type are often very difficult because of the level of co-operation, or should I say the lack of co-operation, that you often get from both parties involved,'' Mr Gregson said.

Two men fired shots at a group of people last week, including deputies interviewing witnesses after a fight near Elkton.

No one was injured when authorities said the men opened fire from a car in the 1300 block of E. Old Philadelphia Road around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.The sheriff's office said 18-year-old Jeremiah Bedwell of Elkton and 24-year-old Raymond Chadwick had been involved in the fight earlier and returned to the scene. The fight was the latest incident in an ongoing feud between two non-gang-related groups, according to authorities.Bedwell and Chadwick were arrested a short time after the shooting and charged with two counts of first-degree assault, six counts of second-degree assault and weapons charges.

Warrant issued charges 30-year-old Donald Donnell Brown Jr. with second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, assault and a weapons charge

Harford County Sheriff's Office has issued a warrant charging a Baltimore man in the shooting death of an Edgewood man. The warrant issued Sunday charges 30-year-old Donald Donnell Brown Jr. with second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, assault and a weapons charge in the death of Yamar Martin. Authorities say Brown shot Martin in the area of Mayberry Drive in Aberdeen on May 5. The sheriff's office says friends were driving Martin to Harford Memorial Hospital when they crashed near Havre de Grace on Route 40. Martin was taken to Shock Trauma, where he died.
The sheriff's office says detectives have obtained information linking Brown to the fatal shooting, but they are still investigating a motive.

15-year-old boy died Sunday evening in a street shooting

15-year-old boy died Sunday evening in a street shooting possibly prompted by an earlier fist fight, Richmond police say.The victim, Oscar Hernandez, visited friends in the city's Fairmede/Hilltop neighborhood during the afternoon, Detective Sgt. Lori Curran said."We know he went swimming at a community pool," Curran said. "We also know there was a fight earlier in the day. He might have been involved."
Hernandez, a De Anza High School student who lived in the unincorporated Tara Hills neighborhood near San Pablo and Pinole, hung around with at least six other young people that afternoon.The group headed to the 2300 block of Aberdeen Way, where one lived, police said, and were hanging around in front of an apartment building about 6 p.m."We know there was a loud conversation. It might have been an argument, or they might have just been peacocking around about the fight," Curran said.A group of boys walked around the block for a while, talking loudly, before the shooting, police said.Detectives received conflicting information from witnesses, including about who was there. But they suspect a man, possibly wearing a blue hat and sports jersey, walked up while Hernandez stood with others on a sidewalk near an apartment building and shot him several times.He was taken to a hospital where he died, becoming Richmond's 18th homicide victim of 2009, and the eighth West Contra Costa Unified student to die violently this year."Unfortunately, we're getting used to this, how to intervene," said Marin Trujillo, school district spokesman.The district dispatched crisis teams Monday to De Anza and Pinole Middle School, where Hernandez started the year before being promoted to the ninth grade in November.Trujillo said Hernandez's family came to the De Anza office Monday to tell the school what had happened."We've seen that in the past, where the family comes (to the school) sometimes," Trujillo said. They want to have an essence of their child. They want to talk to people who knew their kid."

White residue found on the gun used to kill supervising Fire Marshal Douglas Mercereau tested out as salt

White residue found on the gun used to kill supervising Fire Marshal Douglas Mercereau tested out as salt, a forensics scientist told jurors today.But former NYPD criminalist Kristen McDonald didn't know where the salt came from, or how the murdered fire marshal's stainless Smith & Wesson 9mm service weapon wound up with rust inside the slide, behind the muzzle and in front of the trigger guard."The source [of the white residue] cannot be conducively determined," Ms. McDonald testified as to what she wrote in her report that documented her findings.No tests were conducted on the rust found on the gun, Ms. McDonald said.
Prosecutors charge that Janet Redmond-Mercereau shot her husband three times in the head with his service pistol as he slept in his bed inside their Oakwood home on Dec. 2, 2007, then tried to cover her tracks by running the gun through a dishwasher to wash away prints.On Monday, Crime Scene Unit Detective Charles Reiss told jurors he lifted a print from the empty magazine inside the murder weapon. The print was sent to the Department's Major Case lab for analysis, but so far test results of that print have not come out during trial.Defense attorneys Mario Gallucci and Joseph Benfante maintain the print does not belong to Mrs. Redmond-Mercereau.
Today, Benfante attempted to pin the source of the rust on investigators' handling of the weapon after it was recovered following the shooting.

18-year-old man was accidentally shot to death by his roommate

18-year-old man was accidentally shot to death by his roommate Tuesday afternoon in east Portland, police said.Portland police were called to the house at East Burnside and 117th Avenue at 2:30 p.m. When they arrived, they found the body of 18-year-old Chance Caron inside, said Mary Wheat of the Portland Police Bureau.
Wheat said Caron's roommate, 18-year-old Andrew Perez, was inside the house when Caron was shot. After serving a search warrant at the home, police recovered a gun used in the incident and they arrested Perez, authorities said.Perez pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday to one count of criminally negligent homicide and friends gathered outside the courthouse to show support. They said they knew Caron and Perez and can't believe what happened. "(Perez) is a great guy. I can't even begin to explain. He's like a brother to me. I can't see him in there like this," said William Zeller, who is a friend of Perez and Caron. "This is a big accident, one big accident. This is not Andrew."Detectives said Caron appeared to have died from a single gunshot wound and they believe Perez accidentally fired the gun. So far, police haven't said what led up to the shooting.Perez's next court date is set for next month

One man is in custody after Shreveport Police say he was in possession of a firearm illegally.

One man is in custody after Shreveport Police say he was in possession of a firearm illegally. Officers were called to East Dudley and Alexandria Avenue around 3:30pm. Neighbors heard a gunshot and called police. Officers arrived to find two men had been fighting, and one pulled a gun. The man accused of pulling the gun already had a warrant out for his arrest, so Shreveport Police took him into custody. No one was hurt.

Two people are hospitalized with gun shot wounds

Two people are hospitalized with gun shot wounds Tuesday night, Reno Police Sgt. Tom Robinson said.RPD officers were alerted that a victim of a gun shot was dropped off at a local hospital, Robinson said. The van that left the man took off, but officers stopped it near 4th and Arlington downtown, he said.Inside, he said officers found another person with a gun shot wound and took him to the hospital.RPD is investigating if the incident is connected to a report of shots being fired during a fight near Saddlier and Wells. That report was ten minutes before the call from the hospital about the gun shot victim, Robinson said.One victim needed surgery, but Robinson said neither man's wounds appear life-threatening.

Police in St. Cloud are looking for a second suspect in a fatal shooting

Police in St. Cloud are looking for a second suspect in a fatal shooting that led to the lockdown of several schools in the area.
Police say a 46-year-old man died in the Wednesday afternoon shooting. He has not been identified. One man was arrested immediately following the shooting at about 3:15 p.m. Several schools in the area were locked down for about two and a half hours. They were the Area Learning Center, St. Cloud Technical College and Saints Peter, Paul and Michael Middle School.

Huntsville Police are investigating a shooting

Huntsville Police are investigating a shooting that occurred about 9:45 p.m. HEMSI Paramedics were called to a convenience store near Sparkman Drive and Executive Drive after a person reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to the ankle. It was not immediately clear where the shooting actually occurred and the victim was taken to Huntsville Hospital with what was thought to be non-life threatening injuries.

Two men, who allegedly shot and robbed a schoolgirl of her laptop on Saturday

Two men, who allegedly shot and robbed a schoolgirl of her laptop on Saturday, were yesterday charged with the indictable offence of robbery under arms and with discharging a loaded firearm.
The men appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
It was alleged that Ade Doobay, on April 25, with the intent to maim, disfigure or cause grievous bodily harm, discharged a loaded firearm at Samantha Hollingsworth. He pleaded not guilty.
It was further alleged that Ade Doobay and Odel Chase, while being armed with a gun, robbed Samantha Hollingsworth of a laptop computer valued at $300,000.
They both pleaded not guilty. Both Doobay and Chase were represented by attorney-at-law Mortimer Coddett, who in an unsuccessful bid to secure bail told the court that both defendants have an unblemished record.
The lawyer further told the court that Hollingsworth had given a statement saying that the bandits were on a silver motorcycle. He, however, told the court that neither of the men in court owns a sliver motorcycle. He contended that this raises a lot of questions as to who really committed the crime.
Police Prosecutor Robert Clement objected to bail.
Both defendants were remanded and are expected to make another court appearance on May 18.
On Saturday last, the school girl and 13 other students from the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School were studying in the Botanical Gardens when the bandits pounced on them.
Hollingsworth was shot in the right ankle and thigh.
The two defendants were apprehended in the Albouystown area about an hour after the incident and taken to the hospital for a confrontation with the victim.

Authorities say a man with a rifle opened fire on a group of people eating at a Los Angeles-area taco truck

Authorities say a man with a rifle opened fire on a group of people eating at a Los Angeles-area taco truck, killing a 59-year-old man and wounding five other people.Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Byron Ward says the shooting occurred Wednesday night in Lennox, an unincorporated area near Los Angeles International Airport.
Ward says one victim died at the scene and the others were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious.
Among the wounded were two men, a woman and two boys — one 12 years old.Authorities are searching for the gunman.

Thirteen people were killed at a university in Azerbaijan when a gunman went from floor to floor firing on teachers and students

Thirteen people were killed at a university in Azerbaijan when a gunman went from floor to floor firing on teachers and students after the bell rang for morning classes. The gunman, a Georgian citizen of Azeri origin described as a loner by local media, was among the dead.The government said it did not see a political motive behind the shooting at the prestigious State Oil Academy in Baku, capital of the mainly Muslim former Soviet republic which exports oil and gas to Europe from the Caspian Sea.Witnesses said the shooting began shortly after classes began at 9am. (5pm NZT).
"He climbed from the first floor to the sixth, shooting people mainly in the head from a Makarov pistol," the state prosecutor's office said. The Makarov is a Russian-made semi-automatic pistol.
Thirteen people were killed and 13 wounded. Blood stained the steps to the university and staff and paramedics carried out bodies in bags.A witness said one student had tried to stop the gunman, approaching him and shouting: "Don't shoot, don't shoot!" He was shot in the head.

Tokoroa takeaway shop owner who shot a burglar is a hero

Tokoroa takeaway shop owner who shot a burglar is a hero and shouldn't be charged, says a man last year prosecuted for firing a gun at fleeing burglars. Garth Gadsby, 62, was fined $3000 last year for recklessly discharging a firearm at a car carrying two burglars in the coastal Wairarapa village of Ngawi in September 2006.Mr Gadsby said today Zhuo Feng Jiang, 26, had "every right" to shoot an armed man who entered his South Waikato family-owned restaurant and takeaway store on Monday night, demanding money.
"When someone enters your home or shop like that intruder did, armed, then he has every right to shoot him," he told The Waikato Times.Mr Zhuo was in the restaurant's chiller when the balaclava-clad man walked in the backdoor and threw a bag on the floor, demanding Mr Zhuo's cousin, Chun Peng Jiang, fill it with money.
After he fired two shots, the store owners wrestled the gun off him.
Mr Zhuo fired two shots – one into the ground and the second hitting the man in the knee.Police have not decided whether Mr Zhuo would face charges.Mr Zhuo said he shot the robber in the leg to prevent being attacked.He was not scared and would do it again.
"I hate these people. I will never give them any money."The alleged robber had surgery on his knee yesterday afternoon and was due to face a bedside court sitting today.

Police have found the bodies of six people who were shot to death in western Mexico

Police have found the bodies of six people who were shot to death in western Mexico, most bearing signs of torture emblematic of drug violence.Police say four of the victims were found in a car in the city of Apatzingan, along with a message from one criminal gang threatening another. The bodies had signs of having been tortured.
A slain man was found in the port city of Lazaro Cardenas, also with a threatening message.The sixth man was found on a highway in the city of Morelia. He had been shot in the head three times and left with a T-shirt pulled over his head and his hands handcuffed behind his back.The victims were all found Saturday.Mexico's drug violence has killed some 9,000 people since 2006.

Bandidos bikers murdered gruesome photos of the men's bullet-riddled, bloodied faces were shown

Gruesome photos of the men's bullet-riddled, bloodied faces were shown during the testimony of OPP Const. Ross Stuart in the trials of six men connected to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, who are charged with the largest mass murder in modern Ontario history.
Mr. Justice Thomas Heeney of the Superior Court of Justice cautioned people in the high-security courtroom before the photos were shown."These photos – some of them – will be of a gruesome nature," the judge warned. "Steel yourselves for them."
Court earlier heard that Durham Regional Police surveillance officers had no way of knowing that murders were going on – virtually under their noses – the night eight Greater Toronto Area Bandidos bikers were murdered."From where they were, all seemed quiet," Elgin County Crown Attorney Kevin Gowdey told the trial, which started yesterday.In his opening remarks to the jury, Gowdey noted that some of the men who were murdered on the night of April 7-8, 2006 were themselves suspects in the murder of Shawn Dowse of Keswick.The victims drove to the Iona Station farm of Wayne (Weiner) Kellestine, 59, a fellow member of the Toronto chapter of the Bandidos, which was nicknamed "The No Surrender Crew," Gowdey told court."They (Durham Regional Police) carefully followed some of the deceased right up to the Kellestine farm," Gowdey said.
Kellestine lured his fellow members to his farm, about a half hour's drive southwest of London. Members of the Winnipeg probationary chapter of the Bandidos were waiting there, court heard. There were deep tensions between the Winnipeg probationary chapter of the Bandidos and the Toronto chapter, with the Toronto chapter opposing the promotion of the Winnipeggers to full club status, Gowdey said."Wayne Kellestine was actively encouraging the Toronto (area) members to attend his farm," Gowdey continued. "They were told that it was really important.""They were supposed to go back (to Toronto) that night," Gowdey continued. "They never did."
Throughout that night, Kellestine sang, danced and prayed as he helped slaughter his clubmates, one by one, Gowdey said.
"There was no gun-fight," Gowdey said. "There was no flurry of bullets ... One by one, the Bandidos were led to their deaths."
Kellestine faces eight charges of first-degree murder, along with Winnipeggers Marcello Aravena, 32, Brett (Beau) Gardiner, 24, Michael (Taz) Sandham, 39, and Dwight (Big D) Mushey, 41; and Frank (Frankie) Mather, 35, of no fixed address.The bodies of the Toronto chapter members were found early in the morning of April 8, 2006 in vehicles abandoned on a country road about a 10-minute drive from Kellestine's farm, court heard.In the vehicles were the remains of George (Pony) Jessome, 52; George (Crash) Kriarakis, 28; Luis Manny (Chopper, Porkchop) Raposo, 41; Frank (Bam Bam, Bammer) Salerno, 43, all of Toronto; John (Boxer) Muscedere, 48, of Chatham, Ont.; Paul (Big Paul) Sinopoli, 30, of Sutton; Jamie (Goldberg) Flanz, 37, of Keswick; and Michael (Little Mikey) Trotta, 31, of Mississauga.
They were all members or associates of the Toronto chapter of the Bandidos."Only one of The No Surrender Crew is with us now: Wayne Kellestine," Gowdey told the jury. "He set up the plan to ambush the Toronto Bandidos, his own chapter."Kellestine was briefly promoted to president of the Canadian Bandidos after betraying his Toronto clubmates, the court heard.Gowdey told the jury they can expect to hear from a Winnipeg biker who became a police informer and who was with the killers the night of the murders."He was not charged," Gowdey said. "He will be here as a witness in this trial."
Gowdey said the original plan was to kick the Toronto bikers out of the club, which bikers call "pulling patches." The order to do this was given to Kellestine from officers from the Bandidos headquarters in Texas in a meeting in B.C. a month before the murders, Gowdey said."Head office was upset," Gowdey said, reportedly because of a lack of communication from the GTA members.
Kellestine suspected this could end in bloodshed, and armed members of the Winnipeg probationary chapter with guns when they arrived at his farm in late March 2006, Gowdey said."Pulling the patches was a big deal," Gowdey said. "It represented taking their power away."

Sean McGovern, 25, blasted shots outside a pub in a chilling warning to a rival

Sean McGovern, 25, blasted shots outside a pub in a chilling warning to a rival, a court heard yesterday.Drinkers dived for cover as Sean McGovern, 25, fired two shots at the Gauntlet Bar in Broomhouse, Edinburgh.His driver Terry Scott, 26, from the city's Pilton area, admitted the same charge as he was acting in concert.
The High Court in Glasgow was told McGovern, from Liberton, Edinburgh, wanted to frighten rival Jamie Hyland, who was drinking in the bar with his family.He also admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin along with Darren Elliot, 32, from Niddrie, Edinburgh.The court heard McGovern was caught because cops had bugged his house in an undercover drugs operation.That led them to the gun, which had been dismantled and dumped in a park.Paul Kearney, prosecuting, said McGovern was dealing at a level where profits of tens of thousands could be made.Sentence was deferred until next month and all three men were remanded in custody.

Mexican drug gangs like the Gulf cartel and the Sinaloa alliance are armed with AR-15 assault rifles and AK-47s bought legally in the United States

Mexican drug gangs like the Gulf cartel and the Sinaloa alliance are armed with AR-15 assault rifles and AK-47s bought legally in the United States and smuggled into Mexico."Ninety-five percent of the weapons (in Mexico) come from the United States," said Aldo Fasci, police chief of northern Mexico's Nuevo Leon state, where the Gulf cartel is active. "The drugs are there and the violence is here in Mexico, and it is permeating the border with the United States."Mexican military officials and federal police say corruption is a major problem at Mexico's border posts, with officials taking bribes to wave weapons and drug cash through.In the United States, several Customs and Border Protection agents were arrested last year and accused of taking money from drug gangs to turn a blind eye to smuggling.Drug cartels are also experts at avoiding detection of their goods and cash."If they know there is a particular search program in place in one port, they will immediately divert their efforts to smuggle arms into Mexico to a different port," said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Parents of Stephen Willis, the armed suspect who was shot dead by Fresno Police officers on Saturday, held a news conference.

Parents of Stephen Willis, the armed suspect who was shot dead by Fresno Police officers on Saturday, held a news conference.

"Our son was a happy 23-year-old, he had his whole life ahead of him; he had a scholarship to ITT, he was top of his class, he hadn't missed one day," said Chris Willis, through his tears.

They say their son did not have a criminal background.They say Willis was target shooting the day before, and was taking his gun from the trunk of his car when police confronted him."I never thought that the police shot him, it doesn't make any sense. Why would he aim a gun at officers? He hadn't done anything," said Chris Willis.The Willis' say they don't believe Chief Dyer's account of what happened at the Stoneybrook Apartments and have hired two local attorneys."We have done an investigation and we are secure that there was serious wrongdoing by the police department," said Fresno Attorney Rick Berman."They were shooting wildly, they were shooting uncontrollably, there was no proper training or supervision... I know everybody's nerves are on edge. Everybody's nerves are raw after the terrible tragedy in Oakland. I saw the helicopters flying back after the officers' funeral, but that does not allow our officers to do something like this," said Berman.Meanwhile the Willis' say they don't wish their tragedy on any other family."Nobody should have to go through this; the police are here to protect us, not to execute our children," said Chris Willis.Attorneys are planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the Fresno Police Department in the future.They are also calling for an independent police auditor who has the power to conduct their own investigation into high profile events.Two officers went to investigate and minutes later, shots rang out. Police shot and killed the 23-year-old driver of the car. Over thirty rounds were shot by police. At least one round was fired by Stephen Willis. One officer was shot in the leg. Willis was killed.
Chris Willis woke up Saturday morning to find out his 23-year old son was shot by Fresno police.
"It doesn't make any sense. They just murdered him," cried Willis.
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Willis said his son was headed home to his Southeast Fresno apartment complex from a day at the shooting range.
"He was just taking his gun in from the trunk of his car and they started shooting," said Willis.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer said the department's investigation reveals Willis had been drinking when he erratically drove into his apartment complex.
Two police officers went to investigate. That's when they found Willis with a 6-shooter holstered outside his car.
"It didn't have to turn out this way but unfortunately when the officers gave commands, repeated commands for the firearm to be dropped the individual refused to do so," said Dyer.
A gun battle broke out.
"Officers at that time felt like they were about to be shot," said Dyer.
Bullet holes shredded this van. Investigators said Willis tried to crouch and hide before he was shot and killed. One officer was grazed by a bullet in the left leg. Neighbors said it sounded like the shoot out at the O.K. Corral.
"Bullets! Nothing but shots firing. One right after the other," said Maria Vargas.
"I was laying on the couch and heard heck of gun shots and I got on the floor," said Porsha Smith.
The Willis family said this was gross over-reaction by the Fresno police.
"The police are here to protect us, not execute our children," said Willis.
Police are not sure who fired the shot that hit the officer. He was treated at the scene and released. Willis family lawyers are investigating this shooting on their own.
This is the 5th officer involved shooting in the last three months. 7 officers were involved in shootings last year.

Boston Police are reporting that 3 people have been killed from gunshot wounds in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Boston Police are reporting that 3 people have been killed from gunshot wounds in Dorchester, Massachusetts.At approximately 4:00am Sunday morning, officers were called to 41 Mt. Ida Road in Dorchester for a person shot. Upon arrival officers located three individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. All three victims were rushed to Boston Medical Center. One male in his late teens and one female in her early twenties were pronounced dead as a result of their injuries. A second female also believed to be in her early twenties has been pronounced.Preliminary information suggests that the victims were sitting in a vehicle outside a party that was occurring on Mt. Ida Road.

Three people injured one critically during an early morning shooting in Hempstead

Nassau police are looking for a man who they say injured three people one critically during an early morning shooting in Hempstead.
The suspect had been assaulted at 100 Terrace Ave. by a group of five people, police said. He then returned to the area and began firing a gun into a group gathered on Terrace Avenue, police said.
A 19-year-old victim was struck in the torso and transported to a hospital where he was listed in critical but stable condition, police said. A 16-year-old female victim, who shot in the calf, was treated and released from a hospital, police said.The third victim, a 16-year-old male who was pistol-whipped, was also treated and released from a hospital, police said. Police declined to name the victims.

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One man has been shot and critically injured, and his bloody clothing still lay in the driveway

One man has been shot and critically injured, and his bloody clothing still lay in the driveway now, neighbours say. Police have confirmed he was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital for treatment.The investigation continues on the scene in Surrey
The area around the shooting is known to locals as being a hot-bed of drug-related activity, and there have been several shootings in the vicinity in the last few weeks, that are leaving locals like myself- on edge.And if I read things right, things are about to get worse for those of us living in what we call ” the war zone”, because while Mayor Dianne Watts was being given a standing ovation for her economic stimulus plan for the city of Surrey, Delta Police announced plans of their own.The Surrey Leader is reporting that Delta police are undertaking a radical and ” in your face” campaign to rid the city of gangsters.” Officers are visiting the homes of residents with gang connections, checking those on parole to make sure they are meeting their release conditions and otherwise making sure they know police are watching them.“We want to make it uncomfortable for these guys”, Sidhu said.“We want to keep the pressure on, to say ‘you guys are not welcome here’.”
The goal is to get them to move somewhere else.Sidhu called it a “displacement strategy” that all Lower Mainland police should adopt.“If we each take care of our own house, these guys are not going to have places to go.”

Police are seeking 17-year-old Dante Ravon Williams, who police said is one of two suspects who actually fired shots.

Statesboro Police made a third arrest Friday in connection to a shooting incident that happened Tuesday, but are still seeking 17-year-old Dante Ravon Williams, who police said is one of two suspects who actually fired shots. One victim, a 15-year-old, remains in critical condition after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Friday, police charged Reginald Kentay Hagins, 18, Harvey Wilson Road, Portal, with participation in criminal street gang activity, aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault, said Capt. Scott Brunson.Officers are still aggressively hunting Williams, who has been rumored to be hiding in Savannah, Statesboro and other areas of Bulloch County, he said.Williams “will be found,” he said. "We will continue to look for him. We will continue to turn over every rock and knock on every door until he is located.”Police searched areas around Butler Homes on Johnson Street and other locations Williams had been said to be hiding Thursday, he said. Citizens have been phoning in tips and Brunson said he hopes the information will continue.
Anyone helping Williams hide is breaking the law and will be prosecuted, he said.
“Anyone found harboring Williams will face criminal charges brought forth by our department.”Brunson said a third victim has surfaced during active investigation of the shooting, which took place around 8:23 p.m. Tuesday at Luetta Moore Park on Church Street.A 15-year-old remains in critical condition and was transported to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta Thursday, Brunson said. He is in the hospital’s shock and trauma unit with gunshot wounds to his leg and abdomen.
All three victims are brothers, he said.Gregtavian Wallace, 19, is listed in stable condition, and a third victim, Garrett Consetion Taylor, 21, James Street, suffered a “superficial flesh wound in the side,” he said.
So far, police have made four arrests in the shootings: two 16-year-olds, one charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault,
possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, carrying a concealed weapon and participation in a criminal street gang
and the second charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, giving false statements to police officers and participation in a criminal street gang.
Both are being held at the Claxton Regional Youth Detention Center, according to Statesboro Police Chief Stan York.In addition to Hagins and the juveniles, police also arrested Myron Eugene Johnson, 17, on charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, giving false statements to police officers and participation in criminal gang activity.Brunson said additional charges of aggravated assault will be added to each suspect due to Taylor’s being identified as a third victim. Taylor did not immediately report his minor injury to police because he was concerned about his brother’s more serious injuries, he said.

David Zander, 30, of North Canton, was sentenced Friday by Summit County Common Pleas Judge Robert Gippin after being convicted of aggravated murder

David Zander, 30, of North Canton, was sentenced Friday by Summit County Common Pleas Judge Robert Gippin after being convicted of aggravated murder. He is eligible for parole in 25 years.Co-defendants Terry Wilson, 42, and James Ware, 34, have not yet gone to trial. Police said Zander participated in the Aug. 20 killing of Jason Reid, 27, of Akron. Reid was found dead behind a Barberton printing business with several dozen packs of heroin in his pocket.Police alleged that Reid was a regular drug customer of Wilson's. During a summer visit, police said, Reid stole the drugs that were found with his body.Police contend that the suspects went out to recover the stolen drugs and found Reid at a Barberton tavern.The four left together. Reid was shot once in the back outside the printing company.Police found 63 bags of heroin in Reid's pockets.Barberton police said last summer that Reid's murder led them to Wilson, which led them to his home and the discovery of a far-reaching drug trafficking network operating in Barberton.A search of Wilson's apartment at 113 Norton Ave. revealed more heroin, two ounces of powder cocaine, three grams of crack cocaine, numerous prescription drugs and more than $6,000, police said.A 9 mm pistol believed to be the murder weapon was also recovered at the home, police said.

Amado Lopez allegedly pulled a .40-caliber handgun and pointed it at cops who were chasing him after responding to reports of a man with a gun

Amado Lopez allegedly pulled a .40-caliber handgun and pointed it at cops who were chasing him after responding to reports of a man with a gun at 5th and Somerset streets.Police shot first, striking Lopez in his right arm, causing him to drop his weapon. He kept running but was caught soon after, police said.After being treated for his injuries at Temple University Hospital, he was released into police custody and charged with aggravated assault, weapons offenses and resisting arrest.Three days later, a bail commissioner set Lopez's bond at 10 percent of $8,000, or $800, which he immediately posted.At the time, news of the low bail riled the police community, which was reeling from the Nov. 17 death of Sgt. Timothy Simpson, who had been killed in a car crash by an allegedly intoxicated career criminal.Lopez, of Roosevelt Boulevard near B Street, also was no stranger to the law. He was arrested in June 2007 for attempted murder and aggravated assault, but the charges were eventually withdrawn. He also had several prior arrests on drug charges, and an arrest for driving under the influence of intoxicants, but the charges either were dropped or were pending.Police officials categorized Lopez's bail at the time as "mind-boggling" and "disgraceful." According to court documents, Lopez's bail was raised to 10 percent of $200,000 - or $20,000 - on Dec. 3, which he was also able to post immediately.Lopez was free on that increased bail on Thursday when he stopped in at the 300 West Bar, on Lehigh Avenue near 3rd Street, for a round of pool in the bar's back room, where he played three or four times a week, Wilkins said.About 9 p.m., two men with their hoodies pulled up tightly around their faces entered the bar and walked directly back to Lopez, Wilkins said. One of the men opened fire, striking Lopez 14 times. He was pronounced dead soon after at Temple University Hospital."If not for the bail, he'd still be in [jail] and he wouldn't be a number today," Wilkins said. *

Gang-related shooting in Burien

man suffered a non-life-threatening wound during a drive-by shooting at 8:15 p.m. Saturday in the 13600 block of Ambaum Way shooting in Burien According to the King County Sheriff's Office, the man was shot by suspects in what was described as an older red Honda sedan. Gang signs were displayed by the suspects before the shooting, and the Sheriff's Office said the incident appears to be gang-related.

L.A. Gang Wars

L.A. Gang Wars

One man was killed on Sunday night in Amager, another shot and killed on Friday and yet another shot and seriously wounded on Saturday in Copenhagen

One man was killed on Sunday night in Amager, another shot and killed on Friday and yet another shot and seriously wounded on Saturday in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen as a spate of shootings in the capital continues. Police remain without clues as to the attackers in all three cases, and three men who were detained in connection with Saturday’s episode were released again. The three, who were all wearing bulletproof vests, were driving near the scene of one of the attacks in a black Polo vehicle, but police said they could not be connected to the shooting.
In Sunday evening’s shooting, two masked men forced a man outside a café to lie on his stomach after which he was killed with two shots. The two then fired into the café, hitting three people all of whom are said to be in a stable condition.
“Two people were in front of the café and stopped a victim. He was simply laid on his stomach and shot twice,” Police Investigation Chief Tommy Keil tells TV2 News.
In Saturday evening’s shooting, two men coasting in a rented vehicle looking for a parking space prior to going to a concert, were accosted by three cyclists. Shots were fired and one of the two men in the car took a bullet in his back. His condition is described as critical but stable. In Friday’s episode a 25-year-old man was killed when unknown assailants let loose a rain of automatic weapons fire.
Police say that neither of the victims of the weekend’s shootings in Nørrebro had any connection to an ongoing gang war between bikers and immigrant gangs, with police suggesting the attacks were a mistake.

Sunday’s episode appears less clear, as the café in question is close to a Hells Angels Club and is known to be a haunt of AK81 members. AK81 is a support group of the Hells Angels, but police have not released details of those targeted in the attack.

The current gang war between bikers and immigrant gangs has been going on for several months and has prompted the Copenhagen police to set up a dedicated 35-man task force to attempt to stop open-street attacks. But the extra patrols do not seem to have been enough, and the Copenhagen police is considering applying for reinforcements from other police districts. “One of the first things we will be doing on Monday is to find out whether we should be doing things differently,” says Copenhagen Police Chief Superintedant Per Larsen. But he adds that it can be almost impossible to find perpetrators. “If you really want to do something as crazy as what’s going on at the moment, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. However many officers we put on the job, we cannot guarantee it won’t happen again,” Larsen says. At the same time it seems that victims of shootings may have to wait longer for rescue services to attend to the wounded. Inhabitants at the Mjølnerparken Estate in the Nørrebro district have complained that a medical ambulance waited up to ten minutes before attending to a victim. The ambulance waited until police arrived and secured the area. But the police, fire and rescue services are in agreement that in cases of serious danger, ambulance personnel should wait for an area to be secured before attending a victim. “If rescue personnel are hit, they are unable to help anyone,” says Parliamentary Health Committee Chairman Preben Rudegaard.

Hector Joseph "Baca" Chirino, 18, of Orland was arrested Feb. 13 in connection with a drive-by shooting the day before at an East Street home.

Hector Joseph "Baca" Chirino, 18, of Orland was arrested Feb. 13 in connection with a drive-by shooting the day before at an East Street home.Though Orland police recommended attempted murder charges against the alleged gang member, he was released Wednesday after the Glenn County District Attorney's Office concluded there was not enough evidence to charge him.About 10 p.m. Thursday, Chirino was arrested again in Orland after a short car chase by Orland police Officer Kyle Cessna.Cessna reported the vehicle, traveling "at a high rate of speed," failed to yield at a stop sign.Glenn County sheriff's Sgt. Todd James said Chirino was one of four people who jumped out of an unidentified vehicle and ran from police.The others, possibly juveniles, remained at large Friday afternoon, according to sheriff's Sgt. Jim Miranda. He said police do not know why the suspects fled.Chirino was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of resisting police officers, a misdemeanor, and a probation violation. He is being held without bail at the Glenn County Jail; a court date was not available Friday.Chirino was the suspected gunman in a Feb. 12 drive-by shooting in the 500 block of East Street in Orland. The alleged target, a 20-year-old Orland man, was under police protection earlier this week, authorities said.

John Carroll gunned down in front of customers in a Dublin pub

Father-of-three gunned down in front of customers in a Dublin pub was a suspected major drug dealer, it has emerged.Detectives knew John Carroll as an associate of a number of criminal gangs in the capital, particularly the underworld faction in Crumlin.The 33-year-old was killed when a gunman wearing a motorcycle helmet burst into Grumpy Jack's bar, in the Coombe in the city's southside last night, singled out his victim and opened fire a number of times with a handgun. The victim was taken to St James' Hospital but later died from his injuries.

Thomas Osborn 20-year-old Hayward resident died in a hospital Tuesday morning after being gunned down Monday night in a drive-by shooting

Thomas Osborn 20-year-old Hayward resident died in a hospital Tuesday morning after being gunned down Monday night in a drive-by shooting on Gading Road.His death was the city's first homicide of the year, Hayward police Sgt. Steve Brown said.
"That guy was a guy with a really big heart," his distraught mother, Tommie Osborn, said during a vigil held for her son Thursday night. "He was just a beautiful person.""I love him and he loves me," said Alma Villasana, his fiancee. "He was the best guy in the world, and they took him."About 120 family members and friends gathered in front of the Las Casitas Apartments — the site where Osborn was shot. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles, packs of cigarettes and empty liquor bottles was set up just in front of the parking lot entrance of the complex.
After a moment of silence and a prayer, the crowd peacefully walked down Gading Road toward Schafer Road to the Ventur Market, a place Osborn frequently visited.
A parade of lit candles, held by friends and family, illuminated the route Osborn often walked on his way to the store."He was giving and filled with so much compassion," said his brother, Anthony Osborn. "I really miss him."Thomas Osborn — who celebrated his 20th birthday Feb. 12 — recently returned to Hayward after a brief stay in San Diego.His sister, Rosemarie Osborn, said he left to "get away and better his life.""He had the face of a real tough guy," she said. "But if you got to know him he was a huge teddy bear."Amanda Paiva, a Sacramento resident who previously dated Osborn, was shocked when she heard the news, she said."We recently talked and he was just telling me about how happy he was and he felt that he was really in a good spot right now in his life," she said. "I don't understand how this could've happened to him, because he was such a great guy."Friends also described Osborn as a "goofy, free spirit" who was often the life of the party.
Family members said Osborn attended Tennyson High School from 2005 to 2007, but did not graduate. He also previously worked at a Home Depot store in Union City.According to police, Osborn had been standing with a group of people in front of the apartment complex when a white van pulled onto the parking lot. As it turned to exit, at least one gunman — possibly two — opened fire with handguns, Brown said.
Police, who continue to investigate and still have no motive for the shooting, located the vehicle believed to be involved on Tuesday in San Leandro. The van reportedly had been stolen Feb. 14 from C Street in Hayward.Funeral services are pending. Osborn is survived by his fiancee, Alma Villasana; his mother, Tommie Osborn of Hayward; brother Anthony Osborn of Hayward; and sisters Rosemarie and Viviana Osborn, both of Hayward.

Robert Datillo suspected of shooting two Indiana police officers in an ambush

Man suspected of shooting two Indiana police officers in an ambush has been found dead in Louisville, Ky., of a self-inflicted gunshot after an all-day standoff.Louisville Metro Police spokesman Robert Biven said the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene 8:45 p.m. Friday after he shot himself. That's about the same time police deployed gas inside a house where he had been barricaded in a standoff since the morning.Biven would not identify the dead man, but police had earlier said the suspect in the house was Robert Datillo, 37, of Jeffersonville, Ind.
Datillo was wanted in the shootings Thursday night at a motel in southern Indiana. The two officers shot were in stable condition Friday.

Felipe Carrillo Puerto elementary school epicenter of a two-hour gun-and-grenade battle

Felipe Carrillo Puerto elementary school in this bustling border city was open as usual Friday, but fears of gangland violence kept all but a handful of its 960 students at home.The low-walled school compound was at the epicenter of a two-hour gun-and-grenade battle this week between Mexican troops and drug gang gunmen — a terrifying episode that served to illustrate how Mexico’s gangland violence touches even its youngest, most vulnerable citizens.“We’re going to see Monday how many students show up,” said teacher Luis Enrique Mora, 32. “Many are going to be traumatized. They’re never going to forget.”Reynosa, across the Rio Grande from the McAllen area, is home to scores of foreign-owned manufacturing plants and the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful gangs. But the city has been relatively peaceful until just recently.“Criminality has always existed here, but we’ve never experienced it like this before,” said Martha Aguirre, 61, the principal of the Carrillo Puerto school. “You can’t tell when something like this will happen, because the bad men feel they are lords of the streets.”Since taking office in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico has deployed more than 40,000 soldiers and paramilitary police against narcotics smuggling gangs. About 9,000 people have been killed in gangland violence since then, including 80 soldiers and 500 police.Tuesday’s shootout in the school’s upscale neighborhood started about 10 a.m., shortly before recess, when federal police stopped an SUV nearby and the gunmen inside opened fire. As police moved in on a house where they believed they would find a gang leader, other gunmen fired indiscriminately in the streets, presumably to divert attention. Army and gangland reinforcements swooped in. The battle escalated.The school’s 20 teachers ordered the children to the classroom floors, shoving upturned desks against walls and doors in hopes of stopping stray bullets. “We were all crying. We were so afraid,” said Andrea, a 9-year-old third-grader who came to school Friday. “They could kill us all.”Grenades exploded in the street. Bullets tore through the school’s windows, lodged in the benches near the front gate where children wait to be picked up by their parents.“I just kept praying that grenades wouldn’t explode inside the school grounds,” Mora, the teacher, said. “I was just thinking of calming the children.”Dozens of soldiers poured onto the school patio as the fighting moved a few blocks away to a parking lot of a shopping center that includes an H-E-B supermarket and a Chili’s restaurant.
None of the children at the school was harmed.Federal officials say five gunmen were killed and seven injured. Press reports said five federal policemen also died, but the government said only seven officers were injured and one civilian killed.“Those of us living all of this up close feel protected by the army,” said Aguirre, the principal. Not everyone agrees. Demonstrations against the army blocked international bridges Tuesday in Reynosa and other cities bordering Texas and shut downtown streets in Monterrey, 120 miles south of the border.Mexican officials and many residents of Reynosa dismiss such protests as paid for by the gangsters themselves. During a speech in Monterrey on Thursday, Calderon accused the protesters of treason.“We are living a defining moment,” he said. “Mexico confronts a historic challenge to become a secure country, a challenge to truly transform itself into a country of law and order.“Mexicans must close ranks in our army’s struggle against the common enemy.”

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was charged with three gun-related misdemeanors

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was charged with three gun-related misdemeanors Thursday after his arrest last week in Southern California.Lynch was charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with possessing a concealed, loaded and unregistered firearm, police Detective Ryan Thompson said.Lynch was arrested on Feb. 11 after police smelled marijuana coming from a parked car that Lynch occupied with two other men. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded pistol and four marijuana cigarettes. They did not book any of the men for any drug offenses.
"We would have preferred no criminal charges. However, given that charges were filed we are pleased that they are misdemeanors as opposed to felonies," said Lynch's attorney, Gerald Schwartzbach.Lynch's arraignment is scheduled for March 3.
The arrest was his second brush with the law in less than a year. In June, Lynch pleaded guilty to a traffic violation and admitted driving off after striking a female pedestrian with his car near Buffalo's downtown bar district on May 31.Bills coach Dick Jauron said he was not pleased with the latest arrest, though it was unclear if the team would reprimand the 22-year-old running back."You never like to see any Bills names or really an NFL name in the news in regards to those kinds of incidents," he said Thursday during a news conference at a scouting combine in Indianapolis.The league has yet to determine whether the charges against Lynch warrants disciplinary action _ including the possibility of suspension without pay _ for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.Lynch, the Bills' first-round draft pick out of California in 2007, played in his first Pro Bowl earlier this month.

Andrew Richardson, 48, accidentally shipped a lethal revolver and ammunition from America

Andrew Richardson, 48, accidentally shipped a lethal revolver and ammunition from America, where he had been living, when he returned to live in the county 12 years ago. Instead of handing it in to police he decided to keep it, placing the weapon in storage.But yesterday a judge at Norwich Crown Court said he had no option but to jail Richardson as the weapon could have easily fallen into the wrong hands. Last night it emerged family and friends had been unaware of the court appearance - and only learnt the full details when contacted by the EDP. His father, leading Norfolk farmer, broadcaster and commentator, David Richardson said he could not comment until he knew the full facts of the case. Robert Warner, prosecuting, told the court the .22 revolver which was in full working order was found placed in a green shoe box along with 10 to 15 live cartridges which could be used in the gun.Mr Warner said that a police check revealed the gun had not been used in any known crimes: “There is no evidence this weapon has been fired in relation to any matters that police are aware of.”When questioned by the police, Richardson said he had been given the gun and had used it to shoot rattlesnakes.The court heard that he placed the gun in secure storage with the Big Yellow Self Storage Company, in Norwich, after it was transported amongst his other belongings.But after a dispute over rent with the company the items were sent to a Norfolk auction house and when the gun and ammunition were found, police were called in and Richardson was arrested and interviewed about the matter.Under tight new laws to crackdown on gun crime the minimum term for possessing an illegal gun is five years, unless there are exceptional circumstances.When questioned by police he said Richardson told police how he had spent a significant period of time from 1980 to 1997 living in the United States. Richardson, of Damage Street Wymondham, who is of previous good character admitted possession of a gun and ammunition without a certificate.Jailing him, Recorder Peter Guest said that the tight laws on firearms were as a result of Parliament's concern about the potential availability of firearms to criminals.He added: “The law is concerned here with firearms which are lethal weapons. You acquired this weapon legally in the Unites States and I am told it was brought to this country not at you behest, but accidently.“You realised that this firearm should have been given to the authorities for destruction but you did not do that. It is impossible to fathom why you thought it appropriate to keep this lethal weapon and ammunition in storage.”He said if a criminal gang had broken into the secure storage depot they might have got their hands on the gun.“If it had been someone with a criminal mind then it could have taken a different course and that gun and ammunition could have fallen into the wrong hands and be used potentially for lethal purposes,” Mr Guest added.Jude Durr, for Richardson, argued there were mitigating circumstances. He said that Mr Richardson was highly experienced businessman and had been working in Texas before his return to the UK where he was legally given the gun by his employer.Mr Durr said the Richardson had planned to deal with it later but in the meantime had placed it with other items into secure storage and forgot about it as it had such a “non-existent role” in his life.After the hearing his legal team said they were considering appealing against the sentence.

Byron Ladell Williams was arrested last March after police found him in the back of a parked car in which a "ready-to-fire" semi-automatic pistol.

New Orleans man already convicted twice for cocaine possession now faces a possible 10-year federal prison sentence for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office says 24-year-old Byron Ladell Williams was arrested last March after police found him in the back of a parked car in which a "ready-to-fire" semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 26 rounds, was on the floorboard. New Orleans police made the arrest and later turned it over for investigation by federal authorities working under the "Project Safe Neighborhood" program.Sentencing is set for May 19.

HSBC Bank held up by armed gang

Three men armed with handguns held up the HSBC Bank branch at 1017 Broadway about 9:45 a. m. Friday, Buffalo police said. One approaching a teller window grabbed a customer around the neck and took $210 from him while another held a bank security guard against a wall at gunpoint. The third bandit demanded money from teller.
An unknown amount of cash was taken. The three fled south on Lombard Street. Police later found a bag of money and dye pack in the 200 block of Lombard.

Gang of gunmen have been pushing their way into homes in Brooklyn and Queens in search of cash, jewelry and other valuables.

Cops are hunting for a gang of gunmen who have been pushing their way into homes in Brooklyn and Queens in search of cash, jewelry and other valuables.The three men in hoodies ring the doorbell, pull guns and force their way into the homes, police said.
The robbery spree began in October and the crew has since hit 17 homes, most recently Thursday in Bushwick. They flee the scenes in a light-colored minivan, cops said"Many of their targets are small business owners," said a police source. "Often, they are looking for a safe and cash."But they're not picky. They take laptops, jewelry, cell phones - anything valuable and easy to carry, cops said.And they aren't above violence. Victims have been punched and pistol-whipped. In once incident, a 44-year-old man was shot in the lower back during a struggle, police said.The hoods are described as three Hispanic males in their late 20s wearing hoods and black gloves, police said.

Shooting murder of Glenford Reid at a Brampton party last year is now believed to be connected to the slaying of an acquaintance, Winston Watson

Shooting murder of Glenford Reid at a Brampton party last year is now believed to be connected to the slaying of an acquaintance, Winston Watson, who was shot dead on a Malton street. The slayings were possibly sparked by something that happened in Jamaica during a visit by Reid, 31, detectives said. Watson, 47, a general labourer and a father of two, was shot dead on Brandon Gate Dr. near Rockhill Rd. on March 15, 2007. He was walking along Brandon Gate when he was confronted by a gunman who opened fire, hitting him several times. The gunman ran to a parked car and drove away. Last June 30, Reid, whose street name is Prento, was at a Canada Day party at a Woodsend Run home in the Mavis Rd.-Hwy. 407 area when he was repeatedly shot as he was standing beside his brother. Also injured at the party was Anthony Campbell, 37, and the homeowner's four-year-old grandniece, who was grazed in the arm by a bullet.
Although there were about 100 people at the party, detectives have been getting little co-operation, police said. "The nature of the dispute in Jamaica that connects a number of individuals that's associated to both homicides," Insp. Norm English said yesterday. He didn't want to elaborate on the nature of the dispute in Jamaica, but said "drugs, revenge, guns, gangs are all avenues that we and our partners in Jamaica will be exploring."

Mohammed Anwar grocer was kidnapped at gunpoint in Pakistan by crooks who demanded a £50,000 ransom.

grocer was kidnapped at gunpoint in Pakistan by crooks who demanded a £50,000 ransom. The gang threatened to kill dad-of-five Mohammed Anwar, 64, if the cash wasn't paid within two days. But Mohammed was freed after several terrifying days in captivity and is now back home with his family in Glasgow. A relative told the Record last night: "He's been through two weeks of hell. When you talk about what happened he starts shaking. "The family were in total shock. They were going out of their minds with worry." Mohammed was abducted on Tuesday, January 27, by armed men who walked into a relative's home in the Punjabi city of Sadikabad. A local man, the son of his brother-in-law, was also taken. The Record found out about the kidnap within hours but agreed not to print the story while Mohammed was still a hostage. Police believe the decision helped safeguard his life. A family source said: "Mohammed had been in Pakistan for a few weeks, visiting relatives. "He was approached out of the blue by an armed mob who marched him away at gunpoint. They demanded the equivalent of £50,000 by the Thursday or they would shoot both men."
Hours after Mohammed was abducted, Strathclyde cops were with his family at their flat in Glasgow's west end. The Scots force went on to play a major role in the struggle to free him. A "significant number" of officers were assigned to the case.
The kidnappers made demands to the family by telephone. Police camped out at the flat and sources say the phones were tapped. Officers from Strathclyde's Major Crime and Terrorism Investigation Unit worked closely with cops in the Punjab and gave the family round-the-clock support. Delicate negotiations began between the kidnappers, the Pakistani authorities and Strathclyde Police Serious Crime Squad. The family insider said: "It was unbelievably tense as they waited for news." But the terror of Mohammed's wife and children turned to joy when they got the news that he and his relative had been freed. It is understood the family paid a five-figure ransom but this has not been confirmed. Mohammed flew home this week and was reunited with wife Balkish, daughters Soraya, 39, Kishwar, 26 and Ishorat, 23, and sons Shahid, 30, and Zahid 29. His brother, Mohammed Salim, said: "It's not a small thing he's been through - he's been through two weeks of hell." Asked about the ransom, Mr Salim said: "I can't talk about that at all just now." Mr Salim said Mohammed was "in trauma" and depressed. But despite his ordeal, he has been back at work at KRK Continental grocers in Woodlands, Glasgow. A friend said: "He's a popular and well-known part of the community. We're very pleased that he is back and safe."
Mohammed worked full-time at KRK from 1979 to 1992 before leaving to set up on his own as a butcher. He later sold his business and is now semi-retired but still helps out at KRK from time to time. Mr Salim thanked the Record for not reporting the story during the kidnap. And Detective Superintendent Colin Field, of the major crime and terror unit, said: "I'm grateful to the Record and its journalists for their level of understanding and co-operation." He said Mohammed's life would have been at greater risk if the kidnappers had learned from press reports that police were involved in the case. Mohammed's ordeal has raised fears that more Scots Asians, who are considered wealthy in Pakistan, could be targeted by kidnappers while visiting relatives. The Anwar family's local councillor in Glasgow, Hanzala Malik, said: "Pakistan is feeling the pinch economically and teetering on the edge politically. "When people find themselves in situations like that, the unfortunate fact is that some will turn to crime." 'The family were in total shock. They were out of their minds with worry'

Francis Alex Degioanni was shot by two men on a motorcycle as he sat in a black Toyota

Canadian real estate developer died on his birthday after he was riddled with bullets by two men on a motorcycle.At the time of the attack, Francis Alex Degioanni was sitting in his black Toyota outside his seven-story Panorama Condominium block, located in a hillside area off Nanai Rd in South Patong.Kathu Police officers were alerted to the incident at around 8.30 pm. They hurried to the scene along with doctors from Patong Hospital and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation.
Medical examination showed Mr Degioanni had seven .38 caliber bullet wounds in his body, four in his arms, one in the head, one in the neck and one in the chest.
Mr Degioanni’s girlfriend, Nanthawadee Phenjaroenwatthana, said that before the incident the two of them were in the condo building waiting to go out to celebrate his birthday. Mr Degioanni received a telephone call and told her he had to go out for a short while to take care of some business, she said.When Mr Degioanni got into his car, two men pulled up on a motorbike and opened fire. They then fled, Ms Nanthawadee said.Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark said that Mr Degioanni had been doing business in Phuket for five years, selling condominiums in Patong to foreign tourists.The attack may have been the result of a business dispute, but police were also investigating other motives including romantic jealously, he said.At the time of his death, Mr Degioanni was involved in a court case, having allegedly being cheated out of 20 million baht in a real estate scam, Col Grissak added.Wealthy Canadian real estate developer in Thailand was shot and killed on a popular resort island Thursday, a local Thai newspaper is reporting. The Phuket Gazette says that Francis Alex Degioanni was shot by two men on a motorcycle as he sat in a black Toyota outside a condominium in the tourist town of Patong in the southern Thai island of Phuket. Degioanni was shot multiple times by .38 calibre bullets with seven entering his body, four in his arms, one in his head, one in his neck and one in his chest, the newspaper reported. His girlfriend, a local woman identified as Nanthawadee Phenjaroenwatthana, told the newspaper that she and Degioanni were supposed to go out and celebrate his birthday Thursday before she received a call that he had to run an errand before their meeting. Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark told the paper that Degioanni had been living in Thailand for five years. His business involved selling condominiums in Patong to foreigners. Songmoonark said that police were investigating whether a current court case involving Degioanni led to the killing. He was currently settling a dispute with a business partner who claimed that they had been cheated out of 20 million baht (C$704,822). Police were also reportedly investigating a motive involving romantic ties, the newspaper said.Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon arrived in Phuket yesterday to personally oversee the investigation into the murder of Francis Alex Degioanni, the Canadian man who was shot and killed by two men outside his Panorama Condominium office on February 19.Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon arrived in Phuket yesterday to personally oversee the investigation into the murder of Francis Alex Degioanni, the Canadian man who was shot and killed by two men outside his Panorama Condominium office on February 19.Lt Gen Santarn then chaired a two-hour meeting at Kathu Police station to discuss the case. Among those attending were Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong, Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnak, investigating officers and tourist police.They discussed the possibility that the killing was the result of a dispute over a joint business venture. Mr Degioanni is understood to have been involved in a court case with a former Thai business partner over the alleged disappearance of 20 million baht.Police have yet to rule out other possible motives, however.Lt Gen Santarn ordered investigators to examine closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from cameras at streets nearest the crime scene.The seven bullet wounds sustained by Mr Degioanni included both .38 and .327 caliber slugs, it was reported.Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan yesterday said he had ordered an expedited investigation because a quick arrest would help maintain Phuket's image as a safe tourist destination.Meanwhile, The Vancouver Sun has reported that Mario Degioanni, the victim’s father, said that Francis “had become increasingly nervous during the phone calls he made to his parents twice a week,” and that last month he had been poisoned and hospitalized.

A local cable television news program in Phuket City last night broadcast extended and graphic footage of Mr Degioanni’s naked body being examined by medical staff at Patong Hospital. One of the slugs had entered his neck near the carotid artery.
The Gazette was unable to confirm reports in a local Thai-language newspaper that police already have a suspect in custody.That regional police are directly involved in the investigation reflects the high-profile nature of the case, which has drawn more international interest than any of the many killings in Phuket since the stabbing murder of Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund in Mai Khao last March.