It would only be a Bitter sweet feeling or memory for the family. They might be able to move from the neighborhood that they live in now to a better one.
BSRancher
The report, dated Nov. 10, documents a phone call from an apartment resident who told police that gang members were planning to retaliate for the shooting death of 24-year-old Barry Eugene Jones, who had been killed the day before in the same neighborhood. "After the funeral of Barry Jones the gang members from L.A. were going to retaliate in the neighborhood where Jones was killed," San Bernardino police Detective William Flesher wrote in his report. Flesher noted also that another detective, Gary Schuelke, had received similar information that gang members were planning a retaliatory attack on apartments in the 2900 block of North Mountain Avenue for the murder of Jones, a fellow gang member. Police Chief Michael Billdt said Friday that police stepped up patrols in the neighborhood following Jones' death, but on Nov. 13, gang members converged on the Cedarwood Apartments and opened fire on the unit where Mynisha and her family were having dinner. The girl's death outraged the public and sent city leaders scrambling for solutions to the city's growing crime problems San Bernardino has ranked among the 20 most dangerous cities in the United States for the past two years. In the months since, a new mayor has made crime his top priority, the city has named a new police chief and members of the community have formed a coalition named in memory of Mynisha to fight crime in the community. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., has also introduced anti-gang legislation in Mynisha's name. More recently, property owners in the area where Mynisha was killed, have filed a claim with the city, alleging that their calls for increased law enforcement in the area went unheeded. The claim seeks $50,000 in property damages and protection in case the trust is found liable for the shootings. Reached by phone in Huntington Beach on Friday, Edward J. Harding III, who is partners with the owners of the Cedarwood complex, initially said he had not seen the report, but minutes later announced that it had just arrived in the mail. "I'm just stunned," Harding said. "For once I'm, well, I'm not speechless, but I'm stunned. This is so huge I can't believe it." Harding said the report shows the city had an opportunity to take action but failed to do so. "The city had a three-day notice that a shooting was going to take place," Harding said. "They had a three-day warning. That is mind boggling." Harding heads up Edward J. Harding Enterprises LLC. Kevin Brophy and Paula Martin, partners in Harding's firm, own the Cedarwood complex. The claim, typically the precursor to a lawsuit, was filed by the Martin Family Trust. Flesher on Friday said he couldn't recall the conversation with the woman off the top of his head, but even if he did he wouldn't be able to comment. Billdt said he will follow up by gathering and reviewing all police reports and other documentation taken by officers and detectives between the time of Jones' slaying and Mynisha's. Mayor Pat Morris said he had not heard about the tip police received until Friday, but that he talked with Billdt upon hearing about it and that he believed police did what they should have. "From what I understand, we responded (with increased) patrols after that first tragedy," Morris said, referring to Jones' death. "We have a protocol for that, and I believe police protocol was followed, as you would expect." Morris continued, "The fact of the matter is most of these tragic killings are random acts committed with handguns." City Attorney James F. Penman said he was unaware of the report taken by Flesher, but that it was common for citizens to call police following gang-related shootings and warn of possible retaliation, which can be taxing on police. "It is not physically possible to put extra patrols in every neighborhood where someone calls in, even when there's been a crime or a murder or a shooting," Penman said. "The taxes, as much as we all complain about them, would have to be tripled to have the kind of police presence that would enable any city or county to put extra patrol into a neighborhood where one or two individuals called in and asked for it." While Harding and his partners have repeatedly criticized the Police Department for what they call a negligent response to repeated petitions for more police presence in the neighborhood around the Cedarwood complex, former Mayor Judith Valles told the owners they needed to do more to fight crime in a public forum two days after Mynisha's death. "This apartment complex is an example of what happens when the city's crime-free rental housing program is not taken seriously," Valles said at the time. "Owners, I am speaking to you, and you have failed." Valles said Friday that she did not hear about the tip either before or after Mynisha's death, but that she did work with former Police Chief Garrett Zimmon to increase the police presence in problem areas, including the block of apartments where Mynisha was killed. Citing medical problems including a heart ailment, Zimmon left the Police Department in January. Billdt was subsequently named chief under a one-year contract with the city. Zimmon could not be reached Friday for comment. Authorities said Mynisha was in the wrong place at the wrong time. They said a half-dozen members of the Crips affiliate gang Pimps, Players, Hustlers and Gangsters showed up at the Cedarwood Apartments in the 1400 block of East Citrus Street about 7:20 p.m. Nov. 13. The gang members targeted the apartment Mynisha was in with her family because members of rival gangs believed behind the Jones killing were known to reside or hang out there, authorities said. Within two weeks of the shootings, police had their suspects in custody: Michael Barnett Jr., Shawn Davis, Sidikiba Greenwood, Tyshon Harris, Patrick Lair, Sinque Morrison and Harold Phillips. Six of the seven defendants appeared in Judge Donna Gunnell Garza's courtroom in San Bernardino Superior Court on Friday morning for a pretrial hearing. Defense attorneys requested more time to prepare their cases even though none of the defendants were willing to waive their rights to a speedy trial. "Our rights are being violated," defendant Sinque Morrison said in court. "We had a right to a speedy trial." Garza continued the case to allow sufficient time for attorneys to prepare. She set a May 26 court date to consider motions requesting some defendants to be tried separately. After the hearing Friday, prosecutor Cheryl Kersey and defense attorney Mark Cantrell, who represents defendant Harris, both said they were familiar with the document. They declined comment on the case due to a gag order imposed by the judge. Defendant Shawn Davis, who accepted a plea deal this week, did not appear in court on Friday. Under the agreement, Davis will receive a maximum sentence of 11 years, but he must cooperate with authorities in the cases of the six other co-defendants. Davis pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, with an enhancement for street gang activity, and attempted murder. Meanwhile, people living in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred discussed its aftermath. Newer tenants said they are concerned about safety. Eva Thomson, 62, moved from Rialto to the apartment complex where the woman who warned police had lived. She said she hadn't heard anything about serious crimes such as shootings, but that there were troublemakers who made their rounds. "To me, it's not the people who live here," she said. "It's the friends who are coming over here." She motioned toward the street and noted anyone could gain access to the complex. "If you had security gates, they couldn't come in droves," she said. "They'd come in one or two at a time. You'd have to let them in." Nearby, a woman said she was familiar with Mynisha's death and how police responded. "They didn't do anything until after it happened," said the woman, who would only identify herself as Ms. D. "Then they came around. They made a big show about it." The woman said the area is still dangerous. "People are prisoners in their own homes," she said. It's been that way for a long while, said Stephanie Teree, 43, outside the apartments where Mynisha was killed. Teree said she no longer lived in the neighborhood, but had relatives who still did. "I lived here nine years ago," she said. "The area has always had that spooky, eerie feeling." Teree said some apartment owners are making improvements, but that she'd love it if the city would level the whole block and give the renters housing vouchers. As it is, she said neither the tenants nor, for the most part, the apartment managers do enough to keep up the area. "It belongs to no one," she said. Staff writer Leonor Vivanco contributed to this report. WHY THIS MATTERS The Nov. 13 shooting death of 11-year-old Mynisha Crenshaw has prompted a renewed war on crime and violence in San Bernardino.'Three-day warning'
Police alerted to possible gang hit before girl was killed
SAN BERNARDINO - A resident warned police that gang members were planning to shoot up the apartment complex where 11-year-old Mynisha Crenshaw was staying with her family just three days before the girl was killed, according to a police report obtained by The Sun.
No comments:
Post a Comment