More info on shooting near Kennedy Tent City
Man slain near a Tent City
RICHMOND: Peace campers say gunfire does not intimidate them and they will stay until the end of the month as planned
By Karl Fischer
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
James Cash peeked out his camper window before dawn Friday, watching an idling car across the street from Kennedy Park in Richmond.
Minutes passed. Nothing happened, so he went back to bed.
"Then about 4:20 I heard the shots," Cash said. "They were firing all kinds of shots. They just kept shooting."
Cash grabbed his flashlight when the shooting stopped and swept its beam over the tents erected two weeks ago to protest the city's street violence. Then he cast his light across the park to South 41st Street.
There, just 30 yards from where peace activists labored to broadcast a message of hope, Travante Navaro James sat dying in the same Mazda that Cash saw earlier, now pockmarked with bullet holes.
Word of the killing spread swiftly to Richmond's other Tent Cities: camps in Nevin, Shields-Reid and King parks where fed-up community members seek to reclaim public space from street crime. Since the first camps appeared in late September, no killing came so close.
But as the sun rose Friday, organizers said it only galvanized their commitment to stop endemic street violence in the flatland neighborhoods.
"We are truly on the battlefield for Christ. These people are really out here on the front line," said Patsy Green, who visited the camp Friday morning. "People know that any one of us could pay the ultimate sacrifice."
Police got a call about gunfire from residents of an apartment complex several blocks away at 4:28 a.m., Lt. Mike Gormley said. They found nothing there, but at 4:43 a.m. an officer saw a man, Cash, shining a flashlight in cars on the 400 block of South 41st and found the victim.
"The window was all busted up. You could see he was shot in the face," Cash said. "It looked like he was talking on a cell phone."
Someone walked up to the car and fired many rounds through the window, killing James, police said. Witnesses heard a car leaving the area immediately after the shooting, a car that could be involved, Lt. Enos Johnson said.
James, who lived a few blocks away, slumped toward the passenger seat, Cash said. A cell phone lay on the floorboard.
James appeared to be breathing when Cash found him, but Cash said he did not receive medical attention for nearly a half-hour. An ambulance took James to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in central Richmond, where he was pronounced dead.
Dispatch records show the ambulance arrived at 4:48 a.m., five minutes after police.
Detectives pursued leads in the case Friday. A patrol officer had stopped the victim and given him a traffic citation about 10 minutes before the shooting, Detective Sgt. Lee Hendricsen said, so police have some information about his movements before he died.
"We have not determined the motive behind the killing," Johnson said. "We have not determined whether this was a random shooting or whether the victim was targeted."
Richmond's 35th killing of the year came during a relatively light stretch for shootings in the city, but was not the first homicide near a Tent City camp. Jesse Lee Woodson, 24, died in an Oct. 2 drive-by shooting on First Street, three blocks from Nevin Park.
"I pray that the citizens do not get discouraged," said the Rev. Andre Shumake, who helped organize the Tent City in Nevin Park last month. "We want the community to know that our resolve is strong, and we will stay the course. We will stay out here until the end of the month, as planned."
Reach Karl Fischer at 510-262-2728 or kfischer@cctimes.com.
ZERO HOMICIDES IN RICHMOND CAMPAIGN
Richmond homicides this week (Saturday-Friday): 2
Year to date total: 35
Year to date 2005: 30
Date:
• Oct. 15: Musharaf Poswal, 48, Rodeo. Shot and killed in his car about 4 a.m. near the corner of San Pablo and Bayview avenues.
• Oct. 20: Travante Navaro James, 20, Richmond. Shot and killed in his car about 4:30 a.m. in the 400 block of South 41st Street.
HOW TO HELP
Police ask anyone with information about the killing of 20-year-old Travante Navaro James to call Detective Esteban Barragan at 510-231-3053 or the anonymous tip line at 510-232-TIPS (8477).
IF YOU GO
The Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council has organized a peace walk in memory of community activist Ramona Braxton-Samuels at 11 a.m. today. The walk starts at the corner of Fourth Street and Macdonald Avenue, followed by a 3 p.m. gospel concert in Nevin Park.
RICHMOND: Peace campers say gunfire does not intimidate them and they will stay until the end of the month as planned
By Karl Fischer
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
James Cash peeked out his camper window before dawn Friday, watching an idling car across the street from Kennedy Park in Richmond.
Minutes passed. Nothing happened, so he went back to bed.
"Then about 4:20 I heard the shots," Cash said. "They were firing all kinds of shots. They just kept shooting."
Cash grabbed his flashlight when the shooting stopped and swept its beam over the tents erected two weeks ago to protest the city's street violence. Then he cast his light across the park to South 41st Street.
There, just 30 yards from where peace activists labored to broadcast a message of hope, Travante Navaro James sat dying in the same Mazda that Cash saw earlier, now pockmarked with bullet holes.
Word of the killing spread swiftly to Richmond's other Tent Cities: camps in Nevin, Shields-Reid and King parks where fed-up community members seek to reclaim public space from street crime. Since the first camps appeared in late September, no killing came so close.
But as the sun rose Friday, organizers said it only galvanized their commitment to stop endemic street violence in the flatland neighborhoods.
"We are truly on the battlefield for Christ. These people are really out here on the front line," said Patsy Green, who visited the camp Friday morning. "People know that any one of us could pay the ultimate sacrifice."
Police got a call about gunfire from residents of an apartment complex several blocks away at 4:28 a.m., Lt. Mike Gormley said. They found nothing there, but at 4:43 a.m. an officer saw a man, Cash, shining a flashlight in cars on the 400 block of South 41st and found the victim.
"The window was all busted up. You could see he was shot in the face," Cash said. "It looked like he was talking on a cell phone."
Someone walked up to the car and fired many rounds through the window, killing James, police said. Witnesses heard a car leaving the area immediately after the shooting, a car that could be involved, Lt. Enos Johnson said.
James, who lived a few blocks away, slumped toward the passenger seat, Cash said. A cell phone lay on the floorboard.
James appeared to be breathing when Cash found him, but Cash said he did not receive medical attention for nearly a half-hour. An ambulance took James to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in central Richmond, where he was pronounced dead.
Dispatch records show the ambulance arrived at 4:48 a.m., five minutes after police.
Detectives pursued leads in the case Friday. A patrol officer had stopped the victim and given him a traffic citation about 10 minutes before the shooting, Detective Sgt. Lee Hendricsen said, so police have some information about his movements before he died.
"We have not determined the motive behind the killing," Johnson said. "We have not determined whether this was a random shooting or whether the victim was targeted."
Richmond's 35th killing of the year came during a relatively light stretch for shootings in the city, but was not the first homicide near a Tent City camp. Jesse Lee Woodson, 24, died in an Oct. 2 drive-by shooting on First Street, three blocks from Nevin Park.
"I pray that the citizens do not get discouraged," said the Rev. Andre Shumake, who helped organize the Tent City in Nevin Park last month. "We want the community to know that our resolve is strong, and we will stay the course. We will stay out here until the end of the month, as planned."
Reach Karl Fischer at 510-262-2728 or kfischer@cctimes.com.
ZERO HOMICIDES IN RICHMOND CAMPAIGN
Richmond homicides this week (Saturday-Friday): 2
Year to date total: 35
Year to date 2005: 30
Date:
• Oct. 15: Musharaf Poswal, 48, Rodeo. Shot and killed in his car about 4 a.m. near the corner of San Pablo and Bayview avenues.
• Oct. 20: Travante Navaro James, 20, Richmond. Shot and killed in his car about 4:30 a.m. in the 400 block of South 41st Street.
HOW TO HELP
Police ask anyone with information about the killing of 20-year-old Travante Navaro James to call Detective Esteban Barragan at 510-231-3053 or the anonymous tip line at 510-232-TIPS (8477).
IF YOU GO
The Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council has organized a peace walk in memory of community activist Ramona Braxton-Samuels at 11 a.m. today. The walk starts at the corner of Fourth Street and Macdonald Avenue, followed by a 3 p.m. gospel concert in Nevin Park.
posted by Plunda Claus @ 10:12 AM
1 Comments:
At October 23, 2006 3:34 PM,
Anonymous said…
Just goes to show that these so-called civil and human rights leaders aren't what they're cracked up to be.
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