16-year old North Carolina girl implicated in shooting

Shooter Dominique Olivia Gibbs, age 16 (source)

18-year old Raequan Dupree Rouse was found shot to death in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Police have now arrested 16-year old Dominique Olivia Gibbs for the shooting, which was apparently gang-related.

From an article:

Rouse was shot in the 600 block of North 10th Street in an act of violence Wilmington Police Department Chief Ralph Evangelous said "clearly was a gang issue." 

A bystander who witnessed the shooting and called 911 said about 15 shots were exchanged. 

The 18-year-old arrived at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in a private vehicle and was pronounced dead a short time later. 

Rouse had been shot 12 times, according to the 911 recording. 

When police officers arrived on the scene, according to the 911 records, they found shell casings in front of 605 S. 10th St. and a blood trail "all the way down the sidewalk and around the corner" of Campbell Street.

The article does not say how Dominique got her gun or ammo.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

One teen killed and three others injured in Chicago shooting

17-year old Markeyo Carr (source)

In what may have been a gang-related shooting, a masked gunman opened fire at a McDonald's
parking lot in the Roger's Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

When the shooting had ended, a 17-year old boy, Markeyo Carr, was shot in the head an killed, a 15-year old girl was shot several times and wounded, and two 18-year old young men were wounded, one in the arm and one in the lower back.

The shooter got away.

From an article:

A short time after dozens of witnesses reported hearing at least six gunshots, the teen lay dead, a sheet covering his body as his mother moaned in grief outside yellow police tape in the 6700 block of North Clark. 

Markeyo Carr, of the 6500 block of North Ashland, was dead at the scene, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. 

The victims had been in a verbal altercation with another group of people shortly before the masked gunman approached around 3:40 p.m., said Chicago Police Officer Veejay Zala, citing preliminary information. Then the shooter ran off, Zala said. 

A girl, who police said was about 15, was shot several times, and an 18-year-old man, who was shot in the lower back, were taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston. Another 18-year-old man, who was shot in the arm, was treated at Weiss Memorial Hospital. 

“Two of the male victims have documented gang affiliations,” Zala said. 

Juanita Carr-Clay said her nephew, Markeyo, loved to rap. 

“He made little videos at home on his own,” she said. “He was very talented. He rapped about everyday life, reality.” 

She said Markeyo, who attended a nearby high school, had just come from his mother’s house around the corner. “She’d given him a few dollars to get something to eat.” 

Faye McCoy, a retired nurse, was in a storefront across the street when she heard the gunshots. The gunfire ceased, and while rushing to see if she could help, McCoy walked right past the masked gunman. “I didn’t see his face,” she said. 

McCoy, who has lived in the area for more than 13 years, broke down when she saw the slain teen with a bullet wound in the side of his head. “I recognized his face,” said McCoy, who knew Markeyo from working with local youth groups to prevent violence. 

“There was no help for him, he was shot in the temple it looked like, he took his last breath with me standing there . . . Blood was everywhere.” 

McCoy said she didn’t think Markeyo was in a gang, and she lamented the needless death. 

“I have great-grandkids, and it would hurt my heart to see one of them laying out here like that.”

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15-year old Chicago boy shot to death by gang members

A 15-year old boy, Miguel Navarrette, was standing beside a car with his family in it, when an SUV drove up.  The men in the car shouted a gang slogan to him, and when Miguel asked "What?" in response, the men opened fire with a shotgun three times, killing the boy, before driving off and hitting a pedestrian with their SUV.

The two men, Martin Miranda and Andres Guerra, both 19, were eventually captured and charged.

From an article:

Navarette was standing outside a car parked on 30th street near Kedvale Avenue, with two adults and their children in it, when an SUV driven by Guerra drove up, said Steve Campbell, a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. 

Miranda, who was in a rear seat of the SUV on the passenger side, lowered the window and shouted “2-6,” a slogan for the 2-6 street gang, prosecutors said. 

Navarette responded, “What?” Miranda opened the car door and shot Navarette once with a sawed-off shotgun, prosecutors said. Miranda pumped the shotgun and pointed it at the people in the car, then turned back to Navarette, who was lying on the ground, and shot him twice more.

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5-year old Nebraska girl shot to death during drive-by stray bullet

5-year old Payton Benson (source)

A 5-year old girl, Payton Benson, was sitting down to eat breakfast in her home in Omaha,
Nebraska.  A block away, someone in a car with three people opened fire with a handgun and a high-powered rifle.  One of those shots entered Payton's home and hit her.  She died from her wounds.

The family car also had its tires flattened, preventing Payton's mother from driving her to the hospital.

Most likely it was gang-related.  The girl had recently moved from Chicago to get away from gun violence.

From an article, which also has video and images of the shooters and their car:

A 5-year-old Omaha girl was gunned down as she ate breakfast inside her home Wednesday - felled by a stray bullet during a drive-by shooting. 

Cops responded to reports of a hail of gunfire near 45th and Emmett Sts. around 9:45 a.m. to find little Payton Benson critically wounded, police said in a statement. 

The girl later died at a hospital. 

The fatal bullet was fired from more than a city block away, Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said Wednesday evening at a press conference. The area has recently been rife with gang violence and shootings. 

The little girl was the city's first homicide victim of the year, he said. 

"No one inside Payton's house or anyone associated with the house was the intended target," Schmaderer said. .... 

Little Payton, who’d moved with her mother from crime-stricken Chicago, was also the grandniece of Omaha City Councilman Ben Gray. 

Cops believe three suspects blasted the house with a handgun and high-powered rifle as they drove past in a dark-colored Jeep Commander, the Omaha World Herald reported.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

Four teens shoot teacher at California school during robbery

A teacher was in his classroom at Edison High School in Fresno, California, on Christmas Eve, when four teen boys, ages 16 and 17, entered the room with a handgun and sawed-off shotgun, intending to rob the computers in the room.  When the teacher, Steven Guerrero, fought back, the teens shot him in the stomach and leg.

The teens were apparently gang members.

The teacher survived the wounds.  The teens were captured and charged.

From an article:

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer announced the arrests on Tuesday. According to the Fresno Bee, he identified the suspects as 17 and 16-year-old Norteno gang members. 

Police have said the teens were armed with a handgun and a sawed-off shotgun when they confronted Edison High School teacher Steven Guerrero in a classroom around 7 p.m. Thursday. 

Guerrero allowed the group to take a computer but then fought back after one of the teens allegedly struck him with a free weight. He was shot in the stomach and leg, but survived. 

Dyer said the shooter was a student at Edison and has confessed.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Two Oregon teen boys shoot and kill one man and injure another

Two teen boys, 17-year-old Brian Hernandez Cardon and 15-year-old Reynaldo Antonio Ceja, are accused of the shooting death of a 33-year old man and the shooting injury of a 22-year old man in Gresham, Oregon.  The shooting may be gang-related.

From an article:

Lt. Claudio Grandjean said detectives arrested 15-year-old Reynaldo Antonio Ceja at his girlfriend’s house in Estacada on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

The other suspect, 17-year-old Brian Hernandez Cardon, was arrested by Beaverton police on Friday night in Beaverton. 

Both boys face one count each of murder and assault. Police took them to the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center. 

KATU normally does not name minors who are accused of crimes, but we named the boys in this case because of the severity of the crimes. 

Police said Paulino "Paul" Venancio-Lopez, 33, of Gresham was shot and killed at Red Sunset Park. He was found dead near the basketball courts just before 10 p.m. Friday. 

Neighbors said they heard two "pops" around 9 p.m. and then two more several minutes later. They thought they were fireworks. 

Police said 22-year-old Omar Merino-Lopez, who had been shot in the leg, walked to Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center about six blocks away. 

Grandjean said the shooting was "possibly gang-related." Police haven't confirmed if the victims know each other.

The article didn't say how the boys got their guns and ammo.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

16-year old Chicago gangster on school property shoots at rival and unintentionally hits fellow student

A 16-year old boy was on school property, where he had been thrown out earlier in the day for making threates, when he spotted a rival gang member.  He then pulled out a loaded .22 handgun and fired, but missed the rival and instead head a female student in the wrist.

From an article:

Johnathon Calvillo, who prosecutors said was a gangmember, was told to leave North Grand High School earlier Wednesday after he threatened to fight another student, prosecutors said in court today in his bond hearing. He was ordered held on $1 million bail. 

But rather than staying away from the school where he is a sophomore, Calvillo returned to school at 3:00 p.m. to pick up his girlfriend, prosecutors said. 

At that point, Calvillo spotted a rival gangmember across the street from the school and pulled out a 22-caliber handgun and fired, prosecutors said. 

He was shooting from the 1700 block of North Kedvale to the 4100 block of West Wabansia Avenues, according to police and prosecutors. North Grand High School is at 4338 W. Wabansia Ave. 

But rather than hit the rival gang member, prosecutors say, Calvillo struck a 19-year-old female student who was walking to the Pulaski bus stop, prosecutors and police said. The woman was wearing headphones when she heard the gunshot and felt the pain in her arm. 

She was shot in the left wrist, police and prosecutors said. 

Prosecutors said police happened to be in the area and witnessed the shooting. Calvillo tried to flee but police were able to arrest him within minutes of the shooting, prosecutors said. A 22-caliber gun was found near where Calvillo was detained, prosecutors said. 

After being arrested, Calvillo admitted to being a gangmember and said one of his friends was killed earlier that day by a member of the same rival gang as the suspected target. 

Calvillo told police that he tried to shoot the rival gang member whom he identified as "Speedy" in retaliation. 

The woman was taken to Norweigian American Hospital where she was treated and released for a gunshot wound to her wrist.

The article didn't say where the boy got his gun and ammo.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

17-year old California boy killed at house party

A 17-year old boy, Kevin Tatum, was at a house party in Lancaster, California, when a fight broke out.  Someone pulled out a gun and shot him, killing him.

From an article:

Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives said the shooting took place about 1 a.m. Saturday. As people were leaving a house, deputies said, a fight broke out and someone pulled out a handgun and opened fire. Seventeen-year-old Kevin Tatum of Compton was shot and killed. 

The shooting is believed to be gang related. No arrests have been made.

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2013/03/30/2646809/teen-killed-at-calif-house-party.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy

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11-year old Massachusetts girl shot and injured while waiting to buy shoes

An 11-year old girl was in line outside a shoe store in Springfield, Massachusetts, waiting to buy a pair of the highly sought-after new Air Jordan shoes.

A dispute broke out between two male teens or young adults in line with her when one of the boys tried to cut into line.  One of them pulled out a gun and fired it, hitting the girl unintentionally, in her leg.

She is expected to recover.  The shooter escaped.  It isn't known if the intended victim was hit.  It is thought there were gang ties associated between the shooter and intended victim.

From an article:

The mayor said an "orderly line" had formed outside a local shoe store – Expressions at the Walmart plaza on Boston Road – before the shop had opened for business Saturday morning. But a pair of individuals with possible gang ties "tried to cut the line," sparking a violent episode in which the girl, an innocent bystander, was shot and wounded, he said. 

"They tried to jump the line," said Sarno, who received a police briefing on the incident. "It just boggles my mind, the uncivilized nature of these unsavory individuals who could have taken the life of an 11-year-old girl." .... 

Authorities said the 11-year-old girl was standing in a line of people waiting to buy new Air Jordan sneakers at Expressions, 1067 Boston Road, a shoe store located at the Walmart plaza. She was outside MadRag, a clothing shop two stores away from Expressions, when two males in their late teens or early twenties got into verbal dispute that quickly turned physical. 

One male pulled out a handgun and reportedly pistol-whipped the other before opening fire on him. It's unknown if the man who was shot at was struck, but the girl was hit in the leg, police said. "We believe she was an innocent victim," detective Sgt. Kenneth J. Murray said. 

Witnesses described the shooter as a black male wearing a camouflage jacket. Murray said police found the jacket nearby and used it to attempt to track the suspect with K-9 units. State police conducted an aerial search with a helicopter, but authorities were unable to locate the gunman. "We were unsuccessful ... he had either been picked up by a car or previously passed through that area," Murray said. 

Saturday marked the national release of the Air Jordan 13 Retro "He Got Game" model, which retails for about $170, as well as the Air Jordan 13 GS, a grey-and-pink sneaker for girls that sells for around $115. 

Bullets don't know when to stop.

6 month old Chicago baby shot and killed and her father injured

Johnylah Watkins, age 6 months

A 6 month old baby was shot and killed as her father was changing his diaper on the seat of their mini-van. From an article:

McCarthy said detectives have only a vague description of the gunman who emerged from a gangway in the 6500 block of South Maryland Avenue shortly before 1 p.m. Monday and opened fire. Jonathan Watkins, 29, was shot as he stood by the minivan's open front passenger door changing his daughter's diaper as she lay on the seat, police said.

The gunman fled to a nearby parking lot and jumped into a blue conversion van, which sped north through an alley, police said. McCarthy said police have video of what they believe is the getaway van, "which is helpful." 

The superintendent said detectives were "pursuing several angles," including that the shooting was gang-related and that Watkins was the intended target. Police say Watkins is a gang member with a lengthy arrest record for drug possession and unlawful use of a weapon.

"It appears he's the intended victim, exclusively the father," McCarthy said.

Police are looking into a claim from a relative that someone had threatened, in a Facebook post, to shoot Watkins, authorities said.

Watkins was shot in his left side and right buttock and suffered a graze wound to the face. McCarthy said detectives have talked to him, but he couldn't say whether he was cooperating or not.

UPDATE (3/13/13):  The little girl's name is Johnylah Watkins, and she was shot 5 times..   The father is Jonathan Watkins, age 28, who belongs to a gang.  From an article:

Jonylah Watkins was shot five times during the Monday afternoon attack in the South Side neighborhood of Woodlawn. She died this morning at Comer Children's Hospital, police said. 

Her father, Jonathan Watkins, was in serious but stable condition, recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from wounds to his side, buttocks and face, which was only grazed, police said. 

Witnesses said the attacker approached Jonathan Watkins around 1 p.m. while he was standing beside his minivan and changing his daughter's diaper. She was on the front seat. Her family said Jonylah was shot in the thigh, shoulder, lung, liver and bowels. 

Jonathan Watkins belongs to a gang and has a long criminal history, and Monday's attack appears to have been gang-related, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a news conference today. He said police weren't sure yet whether Watkins will decide to cooperate in the investigation. 

"No child, certainly not an infant, should be a victim of gang violence," McCarthy said.
Authorities found surveillance video of the blue van in which they believe the attacker fled. They believe a driver waited in the van during the shooting. 

McCarthy said police flooded the neighborhood Monday night to prevent a retaliatory attack over the infant girl's shooting. 

"He was obviously targeted," McCarthy said of Jonathan Watkins. Police were trying to determine whether a reported Facebook post threatening Watkins actually exists, McCarthy said. 

It wasn't the family's first brush with Chicago's gun violence. The girl's mother, Judy Watkins, was shot in the knee while she was pregnant with Jonylah, according to the woman's mother, Mary Young.

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15-year old girl shot to death in Chicago

Porsche Foster, age 15

A 15-year old Chicago girl, Porsche Foster, was staying with a friend when they went outside to talk to some boys.  That's when another came by in a car and opened fire, hitting Porsche.  She died shortly after.

Porsche had no known gang affiliation, but the boys did.

From an article:

Porshe Foster was with her best friend for a sleepover Monday night on the Southwest Side when the two teens went outside to talk to some boys, her mother said. 

“They were standing talking to the guys, and then from what I know, a car came past and [someone inside] just started shooting,” said Porshe’s mother, Bonita Foster.

Porshe, 15, was rushed to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Her mother rushed there, too, after getting a frantic call from Porshe’s best friend. 

“She wasn’t alive,” said Bonita Foster, her voice cracking. “She didn’t make it.” 

Police described the shooting this way: An unknown male approached Porshe and the others in her group in the 7000 block of South Campbell, and then opened fire — striking Porshe in the back about 9:15 p.m. 

It was unclear what the shooter’s motive was, or if the girl was his intended target, police said.

While Foster did not have a criminal record or gang affiliation, the two people she was standing next to at the time of the shooting were both connected to a gang, according to authorities. 

Less than an hour after the shooting, Porshe, of the 7800 block of South Marshfield in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, was pronounced dead, the medical examiner’s office said. 

No one was in custody Tuesday night as detectives investigated. 

Foster said her daughter was a “good girl” who attended church every Sunday. 

Porshe was a sophomore at ACE Tech Charter High School, where she had a strong interest in architecture. 

“She was really good at it, really talented in that area,” her mother said. “She didn’t want to do construction. She didn’t want to get hurt or anything.”

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8-year old California girl hit by stray bullet from lethal shooting

Two men got into an argument, in Madera, California.  One of the men, who was seated in a vehicle, got out of the car, pulled out a gun, and started firing at the other, killing him.

One of the bullets missed the intended target and instead hit an 8-year old girl who was walking with her uncle down the street.

From an article and news video:

Investigators say at around 7 p.m., the suspect and victim were arguing in front of the victim's home. The suspect was in his car during the argument. He then got out of his car and fired several rounds at the victim, hitting him in the chest. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. A man who was standing near the victim was shot in the foot. 

“Quite a distance away from that shooting was an eight-year-old girl walking with her uncle. She was struck in the arm, a good 40-yards from our shooter,” explained Madera Police Chief Steve Frasier.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

UPDATE (12/2/12):  According to another article, the two men were both 18 years old, and the shooting was gang-related.

15-year old boy fires gun into Oregon home with small children inside

A 15-year old boy and possibly two other suspects fired at least one round into a Portland, Oregon home, barely missing a family there, including two small children.  The 15-year old has been captured, but not the others involved.  It may have been a gang-related shooting.

From an article:

A bullet was fired into a north Portland home Sunday in a gang shooting. 

Police say the bullet went through the outside wall and into ceiling of an upstairs bedroom of the home occupied by five adults and two small children. Investigators believe the family living at the home was not the intended target. 

Officers saw three suspects who ran from the scene. Two got away but officers caught and arrested a 15-year-old with a handgun.

The article didn't say how the boy got the gun.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

A gang-related shooting in St. Louis injures two boys, ages 13 and 17

An 18-year old gang member, Anthony Jamal Lee, fired from his vehicle at a group of boys, in St. Louis, Missouri.  A 13-year old boy was hit in the side, and a 17-year old boy was grazed in the face and arm.  Both will survive.  Two passengers in another vehicle also suffered graze wounds.

From an article:

Anthony Jamal Lee, 18, fired at a group of people from the window of a Grand Prix at 2:17 p.m., according to charges. A 13-year-old boy was struck in the side of his body and had to be hospitalized; a 17-year-old boy was grazed by bullets on his face and arm. 

Lee, according to authorities, then fired from his car at two passengers in another Grand Prix, grazing one of them in the back. 

One shooting occurred at the 3200 block of Oriole Avenue, and the other nearby at Harney and Beacon avenues. 

Lee, who was charged Friday in St. Louis Circuit Court, faces a mix of 10 felony counts of first-degree assault, armed criminal action and firing shots from a vehicle. 

Judge Theresa Burke set $100,000 cash bail. 

Authorities said Lee is a documented member of the "Obama Boyz" gang, but did not elaborate.

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14-year old Indiana boy brought stolen gun onto school bus

A 14-year old boy with gangster ties, in Portage, Indiana, was witnessed with a handgun on a school bus. The gun had been stolen from an 18-year old boy.

Another boy, age 12, had also been witnessed on the bus with a BB gun.

From an article:

The boy, who earlier in the week had been suspended from school and arrested on a possession of marijuana charge, is facing charges of dangerous possession of a firearm, a misdemeanor, and criminal gang activity, a felony.

According to police, School Resource Officer Greg Coleman received information Monday from a student that the student saw two other students on the school bus the previous week with handguns. During his investigation, Coleman contacted one of the students, a 12-year-old, who admitted possessing a BB gun last week at school. The student led Coleman to the BB gun, which he had hidden outside of his home. He was expelled from school.

The student then told Coleman that a second student had a real handgun.

On Wednesday that student was identified and Coleman made contact with the 14-year-old boy's mother, who gave Coleman and fellow School Resource Officer Mike Candiano permission to search her home. Officers located a handgun between the mattresses of the boy's bed.

The boy was brought by his mother to police for questioning and allegedly told police he had stolen the handgun two weeks ago from an 18-year-old friend in Gary. The boy also allegedly told police he was actively involved with the Gangster Disciples and their gang activity. He was arrested and transported to the juvenile detention center.

Note that the boy who brought the real gun onto school property is charged only with a misdemeanor for that offense, but a felony for having gang association.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

16-month old boy injured by drive-by stray bullet in Connecticut

Tramire Miller, age 16-months

16-year old Tramire Miller was shot and injured in the abdomen while sitting outside his home in New Haven, Connecticut, by an apparent stray bullet.

From an article:

A stray bullet hit Tramire Miller in the abdomen while he was sitting with family on the front stoop of a home on Kensington St. on October 10.  

He was rushed to surgery and has since been released from the hospital. 

Police said they believe the two suspects are members or associates of the Grape Street Crips based in New Haven and the shooting stemmed from a feud with a rival gang.
Tramire's father, Timothy Miller, said he does not believe his son was targeted, but does not feel safe in his neighborhood. 

“I think he was just caught in the middle of a cross-fire that anybody could've gotten hit,” Timothy Miller said. "I'm not comfortable now, letting him out of my sight. It's serious." 

Police have also seized two guns that were allegedly fired during the drive-by. 

New Haven Police said that they expect to make more arrests in connection with this incident.

A related article and video, with more details on the shooting and gang members who did the shooting.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

17-year old Chicago boy shot and killed in gang shooting

Miles Turner, 18 (left) and Richard Modell, 17 (right)

17-year old Richard Modell was walking with his 18-year old cousin, Miles Turner, on the streets of Chicago, Illinois, when gunmen opened fire in an apparent gang retaliation.  Richard was killed.  Miles was shot multiple times in the legs and is in critical condition.

From an article:

Richard Modell, 17, and his cousin Miles Turner, 18, were on their way to meet a friend at the time. Modell may have been targeted due to a fight between rival gangs, authorities believe. 

Turner, a high school football player, was shot in the legs multiple times and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, according to The Sun Times.  Police don't believe he had any gang ties.  

“Miles [is] really a very well-liked guy… He is the kind of kid who went out of his way to be friendly and polite. He even went out of his way to say hello to the ladies in the office,” Dan McGrath, the president of Turner’s high school, told the newspaper. 

The teens were among the youngest shot over the weekend. Since Friday, five people have been killed and at least 25 wounded in separate shootings across the city. Some are gang related, but many just innocent people caught in the cross fire. 

Modell is the second grandchild of Florine Monroe to be shot and killed within just six months. The other grandchild was not identified by NBCChicago.com. 

"They've got to get these guns out of young people's hands," she said. 

(a related article, about Miles Turner and the shooting).

Article: Understanding Kids, Gangs, and Gun Violence

From a New York Times opinion article, entitled "Understanding Kids, Gangs, and Gun Violence" by SUDHIR VENKATESH, regarding the problem of access of guns to minors in gangs, particularly in the blood-drenched streets of Chicago:

CHICAGO hit a grim milestone last week, when it recorded its 400th murder for the year. Homicides are up about 25 percent over last year. Chicago has surpassed New York and Los Angeles as a hub of gun-related violence, most of it involving young people. Since 2001, it has recorded more than 5,000 gun-related deaths, compared with the 2,000 American military deaths in the war in Afghanistan. 

I’ve been studying violent crime for more than a decade — first as anacademic researcher, then briefly as a senior adviser to the F.B.I. — and have been struck by the ways in which our efforts to stop gun violence are not as targeted and efficient as they should be. 

Until I started observing gangs and criminals, I used to think that young, violent criminals were generally adept in gun use. I learned the reality was far worse. Gangs and drug crews had caches of high-powered weapons but no formaltraining. Their members could not match a gun to its proper bullet. Few knew how to load, clean or shoot. Their aim was woeful: they injured one another — not to mention bystanders — as often as their enemies. It would be ludicrous to train gang members to shoot better (even if it would reduce the number of innocent bystanders who get shot, it would empower criminals). So big-city mayors, and their police departments, understandably focus on gun access.....

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

17-year old Chicago boy killed in gang shooting

A 17-year old boy was shot and killed in Chicago's southwest side, one of 11 shot and 2 killed over the weekend.

From an article:

Jesus Garcia, 17, was in the 2900 block of West 56th Street when shots were fired about 8:40 p.m., authorities said. Garcia, of the 5200 block of South Fairfield Avenue, was taken in critical condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, where he died Saturday at 9:57 a.m., authorities said.

The shooting appeared to be gang-related, police said.

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17-year old Allentown boy shot to death in his bed

Kareem Fedd, age 17

17-year old Kareem Fedd was asleep in his Allentown, Pennsylvania home when an intruder apparently entered through an open window and shot him multiple times, killing Kareem, before escaping.

From an article:

"It seemed to me he was shot sleeping," Sabbagh said this morning, still appearing slightly dazed. "It was a shock." 

Kareem Fedd, 17, was pronounced dead 4:23 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, according to Allentown police Assistant Chief Joe Hanna. 

Police have not identified any suspects or a motive. Hanna said Friday night police are confident the incident was not random.

Sabbagh said Fedd's bed was next a window, which the boy's mother told him had been left open. He believes the shooter accessed it via a fire escape.

Gang involvement is suspected by the police, as also suggested by the photo (hand signals and the necklace).

(a related page with photo)
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