Note the disconnects -- the police suggest no gang connection yet the victim, at 15, did not attend school, lived in the midst of a gang infested area (an area I personally know well) and the impromptu shrine built for the victim contained a "tiny teddy bear sporting a blue bandana, a common Crips gang symbol."
Next we'll hear the alleged killer stopped off for a teardrop tattoo just before turning himself in.
And the weapon, a gun fired point blank, doesn't suggest a dispute between two otherwise honourable young men. (And where did the gun come from? And where is the gun now?).
It may be prudent for the police to avoid jumping to a gang related conclusion but it's hard to miss the potential.
Looking more broadly though two things seem significant. First, this is the 16th homicide of 2010 -- that's a very low murder rate -- of course one is too many. Second, if the murders in Toronto are often gang related, then a focus on gangs is important.
And gangs are best eliminated by social steps -- there are reasons teens join gangs and if those reasons are removed the gangs will fade.
This is not just lefty cant. Some of the causes of gangs fit in well with religious based social conservative thinking -- single mothers with limited money and no training tend to raise kids who are susceptible to gangs. Bringing back stable two parent families with strong moral codes would help. Now, social justice in terms of jobs and opportunities would also be a good thing ... .
Suspect surrenders in teen's fatal shooting
May 18, 2010
Teri Pecoskie and Noor Javed
Staff Reporters
A suspect in the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy on Monday has turned himself in.
Sheronnie Thomas, 18, of Toronto surrendered to police at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday. Thomas has been charged with first-degree murder.
Homicide Det. John Biggerstaff said earlier in the day he believed a personal grudge might be behind the shooting.
"The evidence so far tells us the suspect and victim were acquainted with one another," Biggerstaff told a news conference Tuesday morning.
Although investigators are still looking into the possibility the killing was gang-related, Biggerstaff said the shooting was most likely motivated by a personal argument.
Devonte Gondwe-Prosper, also known as "Bug-zee," was shot in the face around 2 a.m. when he answered the door of an apartment above DJ Records and Clothing on Eglinton Ave. W. near Keele St.
On Tuesday, police issued a nation-wide arrest warrant for Thomas in connection with the killing. Biggerstaff had appealed to Thomas to turn himself in.
The surrender comes on the heels of an unsuccessful overnight search of a two-storey brick home on Donald Ave., a few blocks south of the shooting scene.
The guns and gangs task force reportedly called in both the canine unit and a police helicopter in the search.
Neighbours said they were woken up by police activity and bright lights around 1 a.m. Tuesday.
Twelve hours later, a police cruiser continued to guard the house, which rests in the middle of a predominately Italian and Portuguese neighbourhood.
On Monday, police confirmed that Gondwe-Prosper, who didn't attend school, was known to them and had a minor record.
Investigators said at the time they were looking into whether the killing had gang connections, specifically whether the teen's death was related to any arrests made in Project Corral, a city-wide sweep of suspected gang members earlier this month.
Several alleged members of the Five Point Generals face drug, gun and conspiracy-related charges. Five Point Generals operated in the Eglinton and Keele neighbourhood, police said, and were involved in a fatal turf war last year.
Biggerstaff said there is no evidence at this point to indicate that Monday's killing is gang related, referring to the homicide as "an isolated incident."
However, a shrine erected outside the shooting scene tells a different story, featuring flowers, mini gin bottles and a tiny teddy bear sporting a blue bandana, a common Crips gang symbol.
A Facebook memorial page titled "R.I.P BUGZ-EE" even hinted at retribution. On Monday evening, one of the page administrators wrote, "Your death will be venged my brotha. . ."
Gondwe-Prosper's death is the city's 16th homicide of 2010.
Thomas is scheduled to appear in Finch Ave. W. court at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
1 comment:
it would be nice if the mother showed remorse. In court today they were all smiling at one another. SICK SICK SICk
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