Sweeping probe details ruthless rise of a new gang in D.C.’s suburbs

From allegedly killing a witness to moving millions in drugs, the Reccless Tigers quickly created one of the area’s most potent gang threats, according to an indictment handed up Thursday.

By Justin Jouvenal & Rachel Weiner @ WashingtonPost.com, Aug. 20

A member of the Reccless Tigers gang beat and robbed Brandon White over a drug debt in 2018. But even after they put White in the hospital with bruised ribs and broken orbital bones, they weren’t done with him.

Ignoring offers of bribes to keep silent and death threats, White testified in court and named his attacker as David Nguyen, according to court records. Court documents state that Nguyen admitted he got a copy of a police report from his attorney and sent out a letter from a Fairfax County jail cell: White was a “snitch” who needed to be “checked.”

That, authorities say, left White marked for death. He was abducted in January 2019 and killed by the Reccless Tigers, according to court records. His body was left in a wooded area of an upscale Richmond neighborhood modeled on an English village.

The alleged hit detailed in a sweeping federal indictment brought Thursday is the most brazen act attributed to the ­Reccless Tigers, a gang that was unknown a decade ago but has metastasized into a potent criminal organization that reaches from Southern California to Northern Virginia.

In addition to White’s killing, authorities have connected the gang to the slaying of a George Mason University student, a dozen firebombings, the distribution of large quantities of marijuana and cocaine, the trafficking of firearms, witness intimidation, money laundering, and the targeting of a prominent local rapper.

Three have been charged with murder in connection with kidnapping and drug trafficking, among a group of seven charged Thursday with racketeering and other crimes. In all, nearly 30 associates have been charged federally in recent months in a sprawling years-long investigation that is among the largest gang probes in the D.C. area in recent years [....]

D.C. police say 8-year-old girl struck by bullet in Southeast Washington

By Peter Hermann @ WashingtonPost.com, Aug. 21

An 8-year-old girl was shot Thursday night as she walked by a playground in the Woodland Terrace housing complex in Southeast Washington, according to D.C. police.

Authorities described the injuries to the child as not life-threatening. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The shooting occurred shortly before 9 p.m. in the 2700 block of Bruce Place SE, in the Woodland neighborhood off Alabama Avenue.

It does not appear from the police report that she was targeted [....]

Operation LeGend has brought 40 federal agents to Memphis, made 41 arrests

By April Thompson @ wreg.com, Aug. 20

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Crime is a constant fight in the Bluff City. But since August 6, the city has had crime fighting help from the federal government’s Operation LeGend.

U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant says the 40 new agents are working inside the multi-agency gang unit.

“We are bringing bodies. We are bringing new agents reassigned to Memphis,” said Dunavant.

He says in the last 14 days Operation LeGend has been busy.

“We have now arrested 41 people, and seven of those have been charged with federal crimes,” Dunavant said.

Those charges include an illegal immigrant in unlawful possession of a firearm, conspiracy to distribute meth, making a false statement when acquiring a firearm, bank robbery and theft from a firearms licensee.

“Those are the kind of cases we are focused on. We are focused on the trigger pullers, the shooters, the traffickers,” Dunavant said.

[....]

City councilman Martavius Jones welcomes the extra manpower but says these small arrests still don’t target bigger problems.

“It’s like throwing a grain of sand in the ocean. We are taking guns, and to me, it’s marginal numbers of guns, off the street,” Jones said. “But when they are being flooded and you can get a dime a dozen anywhere, it makes it seem like we are just a hamster on a wheel, and nothing is really getting done.”

But the U.S. attorney says there will be a long-term impact working with local law enforcement.

“We believe we have a really good model sharing information developing leads, acquiring targets and making sure we are getting the right people off the streets,” Dunavant said.

Dunavant says of the 40 federal officers dispatched to Memphis, 29 will be here permanently. The remainder will be here for 90 days to address the short-term crime surge.

Officer suspended after saying boy killed in shooting 'should have ducked'

@ odt.co.nz, Aug. 21 (of interest alone that they are interested in this story in New Zealand!)

A US prison officer has been suspended from his job over a Facebook post in which he allegedly claimed a 5-year-old boy who was fatally shot "should've ducked".

Cannon Hinnant was gunned down in front of his sisters, aged 7 and 8, while playing outside their family home in North Carolina on August 9.

His tragic death has been seized on by detractors of the Black Lives Matter movement who claim Cannon's killing would have been treated differently if he was black.

Cannon's neighbour Darius Sessoms, who is black, has been arrested over the killing and Sessoms' parents have claimed their son had been suffering with drug and mental health issues.

In the wake of the ugly debate sparked by Cannon's death, a prison officer at the Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Centre in New Jersey, was suspended from his job on Wednesday.

The prison officer, Rome Smith, allegedly wrote on Facebook about Cannon's death blaming the boy's parents, which was screenshot and widely circulated.

"He should've ducked," Smith allegedly wrote. "Y'all always trying to sneak diss and discredit a black person being killed innocently by police. Blame cannon's parents for not watching him!!! F Y'ALL."

Smith's post sparked outrage and claims he was "obviously racist against caucasians", the New York Post reported.

In a statement to NJ.com, Smith's employer said he had been suspended and denounced the "shockingly insensitive and racist" comments [....]

There is a screenshot at the link.

A bit more on the Facebook thing here:

Cannon Hinnant killing: Facebook group supporting suspect Darius Sessoms goes viral before it is taken down

The group, which seems to have been taken down, was reportedly titled 'Justice for Darius Sessoms' where social media users called Sessoms a 'political prisoner'

By Ishani Ghose Updated On : 03:04 PST, Aug 21, 2020

Pine Bluff Arkansas had mass shooting wounding at least 7 at a convenience store about 3 am on Sunday, the bullets also hit a Wendy's,a Citgo and vehicles nearby

 there's a blurry cellphone video where the sound is heartbreaking and frightening, screaming and chaos

wow, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 26, before coronavirus:...Ortiz said suicides and homicides rose 40 percent...

I found that by happenstance from using a search on Twitter to try to find an Aug. 21 article currently on Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel's home page, which is titled Medical Examiner says 2020 homicides, overdose deaths and fatal crashes could set new highs. (I'm out of free article chits on their site and not going to pay.)