San Jose To Address Violence At Gang Prevention Task Force Meeting
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - 2011 got off to a violent start in San Jose, with six murders within the first few weeks of January. Police believe that at least two of the slayings were gang-related.
The killings have come ahead of an annual gang prevention task force summit, scheduled for Saturday.
KCBS' Betsy Gebhart Reports:
According to authorities, the gang-related killings began New Year's Day, when a 15-year-old was killed on his own front porch.
Last Monday, there was a fatal drive-by shooting on Story Rd., which was also attributed to gang warfare.
In between those two incidents, on Jan. 8, there was a triple-homicide at a San Jose nightclub, though that shooting was not initially linked to the other two early January incidents.
Saturday's gang prevention task force summit was scheduled long before the recent crimes. It's an event that is open to the entire community.
"And we will catch the people who did it and put them in jail. And then we will work with the community to avoid retaliation because that's where a lot of the problems come from," San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed explained his approach to the city's gang problem.
Reed added that homicides often happen in "clusters," with months subsequently going by with no murders.
"They need to know that we take them all seriously," Reed said. "We investigate every one thoroughly and we will catch the people who did it and put them in jail."
The gang summit was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Seven Trees Community Center.
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