RPD Makes Progress...
Gang suspect charged in attempted murder
Contra Costa Times By Karl Fischer June 21, 2006
"Hopefully, we're getting to the point where it's a question of when, not if, people who are creating violence in our community will be brought to justice."
Prosecutors charged a North Richmond gang suspect with attempted murder Tuesday after police arrested him and an associate in the aftermath of a drive-by shooting.
Brian Jones, 21, faces three counts of attempted murder and enhancements in Contra Costa Superior Court for being a gang member and using a firearm, police said.
Detectives will meet with federal authorities today to discuss the possibility of prosecuting Jones under federal 'trigger lock' statutes.
'I just think it's a great example of officers knowing the problem spots and knowing who to look for,' Police Chief Chris Magnus said. 'Hopefully, we're getting to the point where it's a question of when, not if, people who are creating violence in our community will be brought to justice.'
Someone shooting at Jones as he drove with his girlfriend, 17-year-old Laquisha Turner, near Hilltop Mall on May 22 left Turner comatose and started a chain of retaliatory shootings that left two dead and several injured across Richmond that evening.
An earlier shooting targeting Jones also killed his previous girlfriend, Alexis Fields, in December 2004.
But about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, police say Jones was the aggressor in a drive-by shooting that targeted three bicyclists in the 300 block of Harbour Way.
'A patrol officer was so close that he actually heard the gunfire and reported the incident himself,' Detective Steve Harris said. 'As he drove into the area, he was flagged down by some bicyclists.'
The three men said someone in a black Toyota Camry shot at them, but they were not hurt. Officer Dedrick Riley quickly relayed the information to dispatchers. Soon after, Officer David Funk saw a car matching the description and tried to stop it.
A chase through south Richmond ensued, ending when the Toyota crashed on the entrance ramp to Interstate 580 on South 23rd Street. Two men ran from the crash onto Foothill Avenue and into the Easter Hill housing project, where they were arrested.
Officers identified the driver as Jones, Harris said, and the passenger, 26-year-old Curtis Morris, was a parolee. Police found a firearm in the car and other evidence linking Jones to the shooting, Harris added.
Both men were booked into County Jail. Morris was not charged, but police have asked the state Department of Corrections to revoke his parole.
Several West Contra Costa police agencies publicly identified Jones as a North Richmond gang member and shooting suspect in December 2004, the same month a gunman on Richmond Parkway fired on a car Jones frequently drove, killing Fields.
Jones eluded arrest until February 2005 and later accepted a plea agreement in connection with a San Pablo shooting case. But street factions in the region gunned for him with some regularity since his release, police say, in retaliation for earlier shootings.
Copyright © 2006 Contra Costa Times, All Rights Reserved.
Contra Costa Times By Karl Fischer June 21, 2006
"Hopefully, we're getting to the point where it's a question of when, not if, people who are creating violence in our community will be brought to justice."
Prosecutors charged a North Richmond gang suspect with attempted murder Tuesday after police arrested him and an associate in the aftermath of a drive-by shooting.
Brian Jones, 21, faces three counts of attempted murder and enhancements in Contra Costa Superior Court for being a gang member and using a firearm, police said.
Detectives will meet with federal authorities today to discuss the possibility of prosecuting Jones under federal 'trigger lock' statutes.
'I just think it's a great example of officers knowing the problem spots and knowing who to look for,' Police Chief Chris Magnus said. 'Hopefully, we're getting to the point where it's a question of when, not if, people who are creating violence in our community will be brought to justice.'
Someone shooting at Jones as he drove with his girlfriend, 17-year-old Laquisha Turner, near Hilltop Mall on May 22 left Turner comatose and started a chain of retaliatory shootings that left two dead and several injured across Richmond that evening.
An earlier shooting targeting Jones also killed his previous girlfriend, Alexis Fields, in December 2004.
But about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, police say Jones was the aggressor in a drive-by shooting that targeted three bicyclists in the 300 block of Harbour Way.
'A patrol officer was so close that he actually heard the gunfire and reported the incident himself,' Detective Steve Harris said. 'As he drove into the area, he was flagged down by some bicyclists.'
The three men said someone in a black Toyota Camry shot at them, but they were not hurt. Officer Dedrick Riley quickly relayed the information to dispatchers. Soon after, Officer David Funk saw a car matching the description and tried to stop it.
A chase through south Richmond ensued, ending when the Toyota crashed on the entrance ramp to Interstate 580 on South 23rd Street. Two men ran from the crash onto Foothill Avenue and into the Easter Hill housing project, where they were arrested.
Officers identified the driver as Jones, Harris said, and the passenger, 26-year-old Curtis Morris, was a parolee. Police found a firearm in the car and other evidence linking Jones to the shooting, Harris added.
Both men were booked into County Jail. Morris was not charged, but police have asked the state Department of Corrections to revoke his parole.
Several West Contra Costa police agencies publicly identified Jones as a North Richmond gang member and shooting suspect in December 2004, the same month a gunman on Richmond Parkway fired on a car Jones frequently drove, killing Fields.
Jones eluded arrest until February 2005 and later accepted a plea agreement in connection with a San Pablo shooting case. But street factions in the region gunned for him with some regularity since his release, police say, in retaliation for earlier shootings.
Copyright © 2006 Contra Costa Times, All Rights Reserved.
posted by Plunda Claus @ 6:29 AM
10 Comments:
At June 22, 2006 9:55 AM,
Anonymous said…
Brian Jones and thugs of his ilk are cancers that need to be excised from Richmond before it can get well again!
Kudos to RPD for doing some much needed surgery!
At June 22, 2006 10:17 AM,
Anonymous said…
The real key to unlocking the reasons why the violence and killing happens in this town is to know the issues and the dynamics that CONTRIBUTE to the killing and violence.
The first thing that the Mayor's office and the City Government does not have a clue on is why all the street-level action happens.
First of all these are inter-generational families that have controlled the dope, vice and arms trade since the late 1940s or early 1950s.
Secondly, you have some 5 families with numerous factions that make sure they are in control of the dope, vice and arms. Street violence and killings are the normal way that they percieve street-level business to be done by.
And that is but a peek-a-boo look at the tip of this iceburg or of this sleeping giant of the many issues of WHY the killing and violence occurs in this city!
At June 22, 2006 3:33 PM,
Anonymous said…
You go Chief Magnus!
At June 22, 2006 11:44 PM,
Anonymous said…
The politicians on the council needs to keep their asses out of law-enforcement, and lrt the professinals do the job!
Ten million points for the good guys. It's time we take back this city the street gangsters and these politicans.
At June 23, 2006 4:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
Kiss off life, Jones!
At June 24, 2006 9:03 PM,
Anonymous said…
LOL! You gotta love the freaks up on that city council. They talk all that shi+ every Tuesday night and then cringe up in their cribs when the peeps start cappin' at one
another.
At June 25, 2006 8:33 AM,
Anonymous said…
The city council got nothing except to be afraid. Bodies are dropping like flies AND the voters are mad as hell and not about to take it anymore. THEIR TIME IS UP!
At June 25, 2006 1:19 PM,
Anonymous said…
That Mayor Anderson woman equally SUCKS as well. She say she wants to be the Mayor again! That woman needs to get up out of our faces!
The killing goes on and she thinks it joke!
At June 25, 2006 1:19 PM,
Anonymous said…
That Mayor Anderson woman equally SUCKS as well. She say she wants to be the Mayor again! That woman needs to get up out of our faces!
The killing goes on and she thinks it joke!
At June 26, 2006 3:22 AM,
Anonymous said…
THAT'S RIGHT....IRMA DOES SUCK!
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