IT WAS FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER:
Publication date: 02/04/2003
Shooting victim was alleged hitman
BY J.K. DINEEN
Of The Examiner Staff
Police are concerned the killing of an alleged Westmob hitman on Sunday may damage the hard-won truce between rival Big Block and Westmob gangs in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.
Ricky "Hit Man" Heard, 24, was shot at dusk several times in the head Sunday as he cruised in his red Toyota through his native Bayview.
Police found him slumped over the steering wheel after the vehicle had slammed into a tree and light pole. What started out as an accident investigation ended up in the hands of homicide inspectors.
"This was a notorious hitman connected with the higher-ups in Westmob," said Lt. Kit Crenshaw of the Violent Crimes Task Force.
Gang violence in the neighborhood has been on the decrease since late 2001, when an intense police and FBI investigation ended in the federal indictment of 17 Big Block gang members.
In addition, community street workers such as Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns have had remarkable success in establishing a tenuous truce between the gangs, Crenshaw said.
"This may break that because Heard was a key figure in Westmob," said Crenshaw. "We're going to take action to make sure this is not going to explode."
While there have been lapses in the gang truce, including a spate of shootings in June, police are crossing their fingers that Heard's slaying, only the second homicide in San Francisco this year, won't spark Westmob retaliation.
Cops say Heard was the suspect in several murders, including that of Big Block member Alvin McEldry, who was gunned down May 1, 2001, on the 100 block of Middlepoint Road. On that same night, Heard was also shot in the buttocks and groin and was dropped off later at San Francisco General Hospital.
Meanwhile, homicide inspectors are hitting the streets to find out who killed Heard.
"As you might imagine, the name of the game is to race against the clock to talk to as many people as possible, as fast as possible," said Inspector Herman Jones, who is handling the case.
"There are a number of (inspectors) here who had experiences and exposure to the victim and we'll be exploring all the historical references."
Jones would not directly comment on the gang affiliation of the victim, but acknowledged "a concern that it may become a flash point."
"I don't know how this will be interpreted in the community, but my assumption is he had some friends," said Jones.
Publication date: 02/04/2003
Shooting victim was alleged hitman
BY J.K. DINEEN
Of The Examiner Staff
Police are concerned the killing of an alleged Westmob hitman on Sunday may damage the hard-won truce between rival Big Block and Westmob gangs in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.
Ricky "Hit Man" Heard, 24, was shot at dusk several times in the head Sunday as he cruised in his red Toyota through his native Bayview.
Police found him slumped over the steering wheel after the vehicle had slammed into a tree and light pole. What started out as an accident investigation ended up in the hands of homicide inspectors.
"This was a notorious hitman connected with the higher-ups in Westmob," said Lt. Kit Crenshaw of the Violent Crimes Task Force.
Gang violence in the neighborhood has been on the decrease since late 2001, when an intense police and FBI investigation ended in the federal indictment of 17 Big Block gang members.
In addition, community street workers such as Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns have had remarkable success in establishing a tenuous truce between the gangs, Crenshaw said.
"This may break that because Heard was a key figure in Westmob," said Crenshaw. "We're going to take action to make sure this is not going to explode."
While there have been lapses in the gang truce, including a spate of shootings in June, police are crossing their fingers that Heard's slaying, only the second homicide in San Francisco this year, won't spark Westmob retaliation.
Cops say Heard was the suspect in several murders, including that of Big Block member Alvin McEldry, who was gunned down May 1, 2001, on the 100 block of Middlepoint Road. On that same night, Heard was also shot in the buttocks and groin and was dropped off later at San Francisco General Hospital.
Meanwhile, homicide inspectors are hitting the streets to find out who killed Heard.
"As you might imagine, the name of the game is to race against the clock to talk to as many people as possible, as fast as possible," said Inspector Herman Jones, who is handling the case.
"There are a number of (inspectors) here who had experiences and exposure to the victim and we'll be exploring all the historical references."
Jones would not directly comment on the gang affiliation of the victim, but acknowledged "a concern that it may become a flash point."
"I don't know how this will be interpreted in the community, but my assumption is he had some friends," said Jones.
