Gang Gunfire Wounds 5 More Youths

With two more gang shootings bringing the nine-day injury tally to 14 young men, community leaders and law enforcement officials were left groping for a way to cope with the escalating violence.

Even Ventura County probation officers are beginning to feel the heat.

“I worry about keeping my officers safe,” said Senior Deputy Probation Officer Jim Michalopoulos. “We’re only armed with pepper spray. I’m telling my people to be more cautious and ask for police backup if they sense trouble.”

On Wednesday night, five more youths were injured by gang gunfire in two incidents in Oxnard.

Jaime Garcia, 23, and Frankie Orta, 18, both of Oxnard, were hit with buckshot around 10 p.m. on the corner of California and Birch streets. They were treated at Ventura County Medical Center Wednesday night and released, hospital officials said.

The suspected gunmen--four juveniles and Vincent Salcido, 18, of Oxnard--fled in a stolen, maroon Toyota van and led police on a 50-minute, 35-mile chase through south Oxnard, officials said. Six police cruisers and a helicopter followed the van as about a dozen more patrol cars closed off intersections, police said.

The chase attracted a crowd, with the alleged gang members honking their horns and flashing gang signs to about 200 friends and spectators, police said.

“They tried to make a circus out of a dangerous situation,” Officer Mike Williamson said. “They were playing to an audience.”

The chase ended when Williamson crashed his car into the van, which then spun out of control and flipped onto its side, Williamson said. The gang members were unhurt and at least one gave chase on foot, but all five were captured and arrested, Williamson said.

While police were busy chasing the van, gunfire erupted in the north end of town.

Around 11 p.m., Jesus Magallanes, 21, Daniel Trejo, 22, and a 16-year-old were fired upon in the 2200 block of Ironbark Court. Buckshot wounded the juvenile in the chest, hit Magallanes in the face and Trejo in the arm, police said. Trejo and Magallanes were treated and released from St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. Hospital officials declined to comment on the juvenile’s condition.

All three victims declined to cooperate with police, but acknowledged that their assailants were from a rival gang, investigators said.

Police said they were uncertain whether the two shootings Wednesday night were related.

But the first incident was thought to be linked to one that took place Sunday. In that incident, four men and a juvenile were injured when rival gang members chased them through a Port Hueneme neighborhood with a shotgun.

The recent spasm of youth violence began on March 19, when a man and a boy were ambushed in La Colonia as they walked home from a pay phone. The next day, two boys were gunned down in El Rio in what police suspect was a retribution slaying.

Oxnard gangs are thought to be responsible for all the incidents.

“I’m extremely worried,” said Ray Gonzales, a board member of Oxnard’s Inter-Neighborhood Community Council. “I live in this community and my children go to the public schools. I’m afraid the influence of joining gangs [for Oxnard children] is very strong.”

But as violence escalates, public officials and police authorities insist they are doing everything they can.

“I don’t think we can do any more than what we’re already doing,” Oxnard Councilman Bedford Pinkard said Thursday. “If you have any solutions, let me know.”

Police are not sure why the situation has deteriorated.

“It’s difficult to identify any one cause,” Assistant Chief Tom Cady said Thursday.

Probation officers, who make regular rounds to the homes of known gang members, said they will cooperate with police in their efforts to crack down.

But while the Police Department has plans to step up gang enforcement, Cady wonders what else can be done to stop the violence.

“Everybody is struggling to find an answer,” Cady said. “But we will keep the pressure on.”

City Council member Andres Herrera was also at a loss to explain the rash of shootings or suggest a solution.

“We have already given the Police Department a lot of latitude to enforce the law and they are doing the best they can,” Herrera said. “I don’t know what else we can do. I don’t have a magic wand.”

Neighborhood activist Gonzales said the city should concentrate on law enforcement rather than try to solve the social problems leading to the violence.

“Enforcement is the way to go,” he said. “There will always be haves and have-nots. What’s a social ill that’s been solved lately?”

But many other activists insist the city needs to provide more outlets for teen energy.

“We need more activities for the children,” said Vicky Gonzales, chairwoman of the La Colonia Neighborhood Council. “We need year-round programs to keep them busy. They have too much free time on their hands.”

Michele Godoy, a Neighborhood Watch coordinator for Durley Park, blamed bad parenting for the violence.

“Parents need to take responsibility for their children,” Godoy said. “They need to be accountable. It all starts at home.”

Although two men were murdered near her house on New Year’s Day and she witnessed a drive-by shooting about two years ago, Godoy said she has no plans to move.

“I’ve been here 30 years and I’m not going to be pushed around by this. I’m staying.”