WebProNews

Tag: Gangs

  • Zaevion Dobson: 15-Year-Old Dies Shielding Three Young Girls from Gunfire

    Zaevion Dobson: 15-Year-Old Dies Shielding Three Young Girls from Gunfire

    Zaevion Dobson was a 15-year-old football player at Fulton High School in Knoxville, Tennessee who covered three girls with his body during a random shooting believed to involve rival gangs on Thursday night. He died saving their lives.

    Rob Black was Zaevion Dobson’s football coach. He said the teen was a team leader, and that he led by example.

    “He’s a sophomore only and already successful, already leading a life that’s contagious that people follow,” he said. “So very liked by his peers and his teachers and his teammates.”

    Zaevion Dobson died in one of three reported shootings in Knoxville on Thursday night. Three men seemed to be shooting randomly as they drove through the streets. One of those men, Brandon Perry, was shot and killed by police. The two other men are in police custody.

    Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero spoke of Zaevion Dobson following the tragedy.

    “[Dobson] was really one of our success stories, you know–good family, involved in sports, was a mentee in one of organizations in town, but still he falls victim to this,” she said.

    Franklin Graham, the son of the Reverend Billy Graham, took to social media requesting prayer for Zaevion Dobson’s family.

    Graham also called Dobson a “hero.”

    How sad that yet another child has died from a senseless act of gun violence.

    How can citizens ensure that no more kids die the Zaevion Dobson lost his life?

  • Jessica Chambers: Anonymous Goes After Gang Money; Gas Station Employee Cleared

    When someone set Jessica Chambers on fire in Panola County, Mississippi, they couldn’t have known how much would get scorched before it was all over. A country cries out for justice for the teen who was burning alive when paramedics found her, but died later before identifying her attacker.

    In the days since the brutal murder of Jessica Chambers hit the news, the public has watched local officials muddle their way through an investigation that seemed to go nowhere.

    “There’s just not a lot of street talk out there about who may or may not have done this,” the District attorney on the case said. “We feel like somebody out there has heard something. In all the years I have done this, this is an absolutely horrendous, horrendous case.”

    Then the hacktivist group Anonymous got on the case. Suspicions of local gang involvement were laid out by individuals who did not ned to wait for warrants before grabbing clues. A trail of possibilities was laid out on Twitter for the world to see. The Anonymous operation was initially called “OperationJessicaC.”

    Soon, the FBI came to town and took over the investigation. Anonymous claimed the Feds were there in response to their own emails to them, laying out clues. The name of the Twitter account Anonymous used was changed to “OperationJessicaComplete.”

    Anonymous changed the focus of their operation to hit a particular gang structure called “Gangster Disciples.” The operation name changed again to “JessicasLight.”

    The Anonymous investigation has turned up what appears to be a gang affiliation structure that they promise to compile and release. They have also been grabbing screenshots from social media accounts of people they claim are gang members possibly involved in Jessica Chambers’ murder. Some of these accounts have been shut down recently. But, as Anonymous points out, you can’t really get rid of anything once it’s been posted.

    In this Facebook post, a particularly disturbing notion is floated:

    “Somebody needs to rape all they kids in front of them then set them on fire there learn then white bitches need to be dead”

    One of the people caught at the heart of the fracas is Ali Alsanai. Jessica Chambers’ last known whereabouts before being found burning was at a gas station that Alsanai worked at and is owned by his family. Anonymous claims that this gas station is a hub of gang activity. Some amateur sleuths poked around in security camera footage from the gas station and raised questions about sections of video that seemed to be missing.

    Some accused Alsanai of hiding what he knows about gang activity at the gas station.

    Alsanai has been cleared as a primary suspect, his whereabouts accounted for at the time of the Chambers attack. Still Alsanai has had to deal with a lot of heat on social media. On his own Facebook page, Alsanai’s friends are celebrating his being cleared of the murder.

    Post by Morgan Rowlison.

    Alsanai is keeping his head up.

    Post by Ali Alsanai.

  • Mexico Prison Stormed By Gunmen, Nine Dead

    An exchange of gunfire occurred on Friday at a prison in Guerrero, Mexico.

    Six men disguised as police officers commuted to the facility in a stolen pickup truck and pretended to transport an inmate.

    Once inside the doors of the prison, they started confrontation with some of the guards and inmates.

    Four inmates and five assailants were killed in the shootout. The sixth assailant suffers from injuries but is in stable condition. One prison guard is currently being treated for a gunshot wound.

    Following the event, army troops were immediately called to the scene and surrounded the prison’s vicinity.

    The motive behind the raid is still unclear, however, authorities believe that a Mexican gang may have carried out the attack. It is not uncommon for gangs to invade prisons to free their members or to seek revenge by killing those from rival gangs.

    As one of the worst states in Mexico, Guerrero has a high crime rate of gang activity.

    In September 2012, one of the deadliest shootouts happened on the streets of a small town patrolled by Mexican soldiers. (image)

    A heavily armed group of gang members, nine men and one woman, attacked the troops in a case most likely related to drugs. All attackers died in the shootout including one soldier.

    Furthermore, gang members are attacking leaders of the state. In July 2012, police chief of Ayutla was found shot to death.  Many deaths alike have sparked a movement of vigilantes wearing armed masks, carrying weapons and managing roadside checkpoints in an effort to protect their communities.

    As the one of the most popular tourist locations, Guerrero suffers terribly from excessive violence but citizen patrol continues to fight against that which is destroying the community.

    Images via Youtube, WochitGeneralNews

  • Gang Members Arrested; Feds Seize Cash, Drugs and Weapons

    There are 263 less gang members on the street today. Federal agents arrested many violent offenders and seized cash, weapons and drugs.

    “Among those charged are 158 members and associates of MS-13, with 105 others allegedly belonging to other gangs. Authorities arrested 84 non-gang members wanted on criminal charges and 14 people on immigration violations as part of the same sweep,” according to the U.S. Customs Enforcement Agency.

    MS-13, the central focus of the federal agency’s efforts, is a gang that first originated in Los Angeles. Known as “Mara Salvatrucha,” the group was founded by a collection of Salvadoran immigrants fleeing civil war back home. Its membership spread throughout the United States, Central America and even Canada.

    Officials say they characterize MS-13 as one of the most volatile criminal gang associations known today.

    “Special agents with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit also seized 28 firearms, 10 kilograms of marijuana, 123 grams of cocaine, over 770 grams of heroin and about $22,400 in cash,” officials said. “MS-13 members engage in various criminal activities, including drug trafficking, murder, rape, robbery and other crimes.”

    Alongside other law enforcement agencies from Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, U.S. officials say they’ve conducted international arrests of MS-13 members and their efforts have been ongoing. Back in 2005, government agents partnered with agencies from five other countries to “eradicate” the infamous gang’s stronghold over the worldwide landscape. They all collectively worked from a command post in Washington D.C.

    “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker.

    According to reports, MS-13 has expanded to more than 50, 000 members.  Its gang’s membership “now targets younger recruits more than ever,” according to a report by the FBI.

    FBI says that in order to combat the gang’s growing influence; they established a national gang task force in 2004 headquartered in Washington D.C. They say they’ll continue to work with other agencies “to help improve operations and prosecutions” of violent MS-13 gang members worldwide.

  • 13 Officers Indicted In Prison Drug Gang Scheme

    13 female state prison guards have been indicted on charges of federal racketeering after it was discovered that they were all aiding prisoners in drug trafficking and money laundering in Baltimore.

    The guards used their position of power to help members of the Black Guerilla Family smuggle in contraband such as pills and cell phones, which they hid in their hair and underwear. But they didn’t just aid the gang in their illegal operations; some of them were carrying on relationships with the members. Reportedly, one inmate got four women pregnant.

    “The inmates literally took over ‘the asylum,’ and the detention centers became safe havens for BGF,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt.

    Prosecutors say that the conditions and staff of the prison system in Maryland is severely lacking and are blaming these incidents on a lack of control by those in charge, saying that procedures were not in place to prevent smuggling.

    As of now, all 13 officers have been suspended and are facing termination, but many are wondering if these indictments will preclude a major–and much needed–change in the prison systems.

    This isn’t the first time a female prison guard has been caught abusing her position; a woman in Brooklyn was recently brought up on charges after admitting she was pregnant by an alleged cop killer who was under her watch.

  • 6-Month-Old Shot, Dies in Suspected Gang Shooting

    A six-month-old girl who was shot in a Chicago neighborhood on Monday has now died.

    The Chicago Fox station is reporting that Jonylah Watkins was shot five times as her father, Jonathan, changed her diaper in the front seat of a minivan. Jonathan was also shot, but is expected to recover from his wounds. The shooting took place in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood.

    Though the police told Fox that they are investigating multiple possibilities, they also stated that the shooting had “very strong gang overtones. Jonathan Watkins has more than 30 arrests on record.

    “Regardless of who you are or regardless of what your role is as an adult, everybody has a role to play to make sure every child is in a safe city, in a safe neighborhood, and in a safe community on a safe street like other parts of our city,” said Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago.

    Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

    Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

  • Carson Beach Gang Fights Spurred By Social Media

    Over five agencies and 100 law enforcement officers responded to fights in South Boston yesterday around 5:30 pm. It took that many to contain a series of gang fights that involved and were witnessed by over 1,000 youths in the Carson Beach area of the city.

    The Boston Globe says that the fighting was among rival gang members and that many were drawn to the scene on Monday to watch the violence unfold. Apparently the first fight broke out around 5:30 and police responded to find the beach and parking lots overflowing with kids aged 14-19. State police had to call in tactical ops teams, SWAT teams, and emergency deployment teams to control the situation.

    The kids reportedly dispersed, many boarding the train and headed both north and south to continue the fights. Although many peaceful Memorial Day outings were undoubtedly ruined by the fighting, there were no reports of serious injuries as of yesterday. The police are still investigating the actual gang ties behind the fights and there’s no official word on how many of the 1,000+ were actually fighting and how many were just watching.

    It looks like social media sites like Facebook and Twitter played a part in the fights, which mirror incidents that had been happening over the course of the entire weekend.

    Police said the gang members are part of a group of more than 1,000 youths who have used social media sites like Facebook to plan unruly gatherings on the beach on three of the past four nights. The beach falls under the jurisdiction of the State Police, who have been unable to prevent the violence.

    The report doesn’t detail any specific Facebook pages that served as hubs for the planning, and a search of the social media site yields no centralized page or groups. It’s most likely that the teens used messaging and status updates to organize the gatherings at the beach.

    Twitter has blown up about the violence, as Carson Beach was trending up until just recently. It’s hard to say that specific tweets involving Carson Beach were organizational tweets, directing people to the site of the brawls. But around 15 or so hours ago – around the time of the first fights being reported – there are a bunch of tweets that simply say things like “otw Carson Beach” and “Carson Beach, abt to roll up.”

    People also noticed some disturbance in the area and reported on Twitter:

    @JosieGL
    Josie    so many cop cars driving past us leaving M Street beach, they were heading towards Carson.. big brawl? even saw a SWAT team vehicle 15 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @bjk1008
    B. Kiley    @universalhub it’s not just JFK. It’s all the way up to Carson beach. Everything’s shut down 15 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @HULKNERD
    Hulk Nerd    @universalhub I was down there just before that swimming. Big groups by the bath house. Not regulars. Left just before things went down. 13 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    The reaction today is mixed between those simply shocked by the report that such a large number of youths were involved, and those that dispute those reports:

    @universalhub
    Adam Gaffin    @aallredon7 Really? 1,000 teens showed up just to watch a gang fight? Or because it was a hot day? Let’s not demonize everybody there 2 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @LyricalWeez
    Shawn Weeks    Bro that’s bullshit, it was no gang fight, I was there RT @SpiffySoles: 1000 teenagers involved in a “Gang Fight” on carson beach… 8 hours ago via UberSocial · powered by @socialditto

    @CLAWgod
    Aara Holtzclaw    they have carson beach on the news and are saying it was a “gang fight” and people were from “rival gangs” #exaggerated 13 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Whether or not a thousand kids were actually involved or that number is hyperbole, police say that was the largest gathering of teens at the beach in the last twenty years. If Facebook and Twitter played a significant role in the organization of these gatherings, it just shows the power the social networking sites have to get people moving behind a cause – whether that cause is for good or for violence.