Post by Scumhunter on Apr 7, 2015 10:30:52 GMT -5
(above: Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer addressing the media about this profiled case. Credit: AP Photo/Omaha World-Herald, Chris Machian)
A lingering dispute among three sects of the Bloods gang is likely behind one of the worst single shootings in recent Omaha history, according to a person familiar with the police investigation.
Three people were slain and five others were wounded at 1:44 a.m. Saturday during a party at a northeast Omaha house. Four men and four women were hit as multiple shooters exchanged gunfire, Police Chief Todd Schmader
er said.
The eight were among 10 people struck by bullets late Friday and early Saturday.
“The violence we are seeing here is the product of gang members who have no regard for human life,” the chief said at a press conference Saturday afternoon. “We will do everything in our power to bring the shooters to justice.”
Top police officials, including Schmaderer and his deputy chiefs, were at the Parker Street scene in the early morning hours. He said some suspected gang members who were there — amid sobbing family members — showed no compassion for the dead.
“We will not stand for this level of violence,” the chief said.
Schmaderer also said the latest violence is part of a constant cycle of gang retaliation that goes back as much as two or three years.
Those killed at 3402 Parker St. were Jakela Foster, 19, Latecia J. Fox, 24, and Cameron R. Harris, 26. Both women were pronounced dead in the front yard; Harris died in the afternoon at the Nebraska Medical Center.
The four male victims shot at that address are documented gang members, the chief said. He said the house was unoccupied and empty of furnishings, but partygoers were inside and outside the home.
Two people were shot about a block away, at 1710 N. 32nd St., just after 10 p.m. Friday. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening. The chief also described that shooting as gang-related.
He vowed a heavier police presence in the area to prevent retaliation. But Schmaderer also called on the community to help — to provide information to police.
He said “the vast majority” of the 40 to 50 people at the party would not talk to police because they might have feared retaliation, but he urged them to contact authorities now. He promised to keep any contacts confidential.
“We have means at our disposal to protect what you say to us and protect your safety,” the chief said.
Mayor Jean Stothert echoed the chief’s call for help. “These witnesses must cooperate with police to arrest those responsible,” she said in a statement. “We need a cooperating community.”
Nearly half of Omaha’s 33 homicides last year involved either a victim or suspect with a gang affiliation, police have said.
The Parker Street shooting appears to be one of the worst in recent Omaha history.
No one could recall a single crime scene with that many shooting victims, other than the mass shooting at the Von Maur department store in 2007. Eight people were slain there and five injured by a gunman who took his own life after his rampage.
In July 2012, 10 people were injured in six separate shooting incidents over a weekend. All those victims survived.
One of the victims of Saturday’s Parker Street shooting, Cameron R. Harris, was injured in a Nov. 29 shooting at a west Omaha bar. Harris and two other men were shot but not seriously hurt about 1 a.m. in the parking lot of the Rehab Lounge near 120th Street and West Center Road. David J. Brown, 21, is awaiting trial on felony assault charges.
The same gang factions involved in the Parker Street homicides also feuded at Native Omaha Days in 2013, the person familiar with Saturday’s case said.
Thoughts? In February, there was an arrest in relation to this case. 21-year old Trenelle Miller, who was actually one of the eight people shot, was charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. However, no one has been charged with murder in the deaths of Jakela Foster, Latecia Fox, or Cameron Harris yet.
What is known is we have three victims dead due to more senseless violence. Latecia Fox, along with her murder, had formed the Voice Advocacy Center, a non-profit tutoring children and adults with learning disabilities. Her boyfriend was Cameron Harris. His brother had to make the heart-wrenching decision to take him off life support. Jakela Foster was the mother of a 1-year old boy. This is tragic beyond belief.
I know sometimes I'm tough on witnesses who have information and don't come forward. However, in this case, gang members are said to be involved. However, it has been assured by Chief Schmaderer your identity will be protected if you have information. In addition Crime Stoppers is an anonymous line where you can give information and don't have to reveal your name. It's understandable to be afraid, but please think about Latecia, Cameron, and Jakela, and their families and how you'd feel if that was your friend or family member.
Admin Note #1: Based on crime location/online research, our advice for anyone with information on this case would be to call Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP or submit a tip on their website: omahacrimestoppers.org/
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
www.omaha.com/news/crime/omaha-shootings-that-killed-likely-tied-to-vendettas-within-gang/article_61eb25c1-7d40-546d-b010-8f2a221ec126.html
www.ketv.com/news/man-charged-in-triple-homicide-will-stand-trial/31698926
www.ketv.com/news/three-dead-in-overnight-shooting/30897778
www.ketv.com/news/young-mother-killed-saturday-morning-in-double-homicide/30899802
www.ketv.com/news/family-greaves-after-third-homicide-victim-dies/30905470
www.scrippsmedia.com/kmtv/news/Homicide-Victim-Inspired-Local-Non-Profit-289731181.html
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