04/05/08 (AR):
50% of Gang Shooting Victims Are Bystanders, Says Expert
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Daniel Francis was killed whilst he was a passenger in a car being driven by a co-worker in Bentonville, Arkansas. He was shot to the back of the head, say prosecutors, by Serafin Sandoval-Vega, as part of a gang initiation.
Expert witness Al Valdez, an expert on gangs and gang culture told the sentencing hearing that he was certain that the incident was not sparked by road rage as first thought. Speaking of Sandoval-Vega he said, "He did the shooting. He was following orders. It was an initiation."
Valdez went on to say that many gangs incite new recruits to murder and that as many as 50% of victims are ordinary members of the public with no connection to gangs.
In this case, the victim was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time and may have even been singled out because he was in a red car. Red was the signature color of a rival gang, said the expert.
Defense expert Brian Contreras disagreed, saying that it was usually rival gangs that were targeted during initiation. Contreras gave the example of a gang member robbing a store but stated that the crime may not be gang related if the act didn't benefit the gang.
"The majority of gangs are out for territory control and will not shoot an innocent person as part of an initiation," Contreras said.
The judge will give his ruling in June.
© X-Pro 2008
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