The victim, thought to be in his 40s, was blasted on the town's Inchinnan Road at around 7.50pm.Man was shot outside a police station in a suspected gangland hit last night.Detectives had to tape of the streets around their own office after the incident in Renfrew.He was rushed by ambulance to Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital where his injuries were said not to be life-threatening.A shopkeeper close to where the shooting happened said: "The first I knew something was going on was when the police started swarming out of the station and sealing off the area."I've been told it was a local gangster who has been shot in the leg."It's got to be a bit embarrassing for police because it happened literally right outside the station.
"When the sun comes out, this place just seems to go mental."A police spokeswoman said: "We are investigating an incident."The Scottish Ambulance Service said a man was taken to hospital after they were called by police.

Two Stockton men and a Lockford man were arrested in the beating death of a 23-year-old man in Stockton over the weekend.The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office detectives believe the attack was gang related. The three men arrested Saturday were identified as 22-year-old Gerardo Antonio Orozco of Stockton, 20-year-old Steven Mickey Alvarado of Stockton, and 25-year-old Jose Jesus Gomez of Lockford. They each were booked into San Joaquin County Jail on suspicion of murder, robbery and street terrorism.Stockton Police Department Gang Street Enforcement Team officers helped sheriff's detectives take two of the men and a woman at a Stockton address. The third man was taken into custody in Lockford.The woman was taken into custody with the men, but she was not immediately charged or identified. Nor was the 23-year-old man who was beaten and found near the Shell gas station in the 7700 block of North Moreland Street in Stockton identified.

Assassinations were committed gangland style – a bomb in a stairwell, and a rapid fire shootout – which is perhaps not so surprising in a country that has swiftly become a major transit hub for narcotics into Europe. But the tit-for-tat revenge killings of Guinea-Bissau's top two leaders, its Army chief and its president, have left this poor country without leaders and the prospect of continued military rule.
By Monday evening, the tiny African country's Army had shut down two private radio stations, and had escorted the president's widow and children to the home of the United Nations representative in Guinea-Bissau. Meanwhile, the Armed Forces assured citizens on state-run radio that no coup was in process, but that the Army would respect the Constitution and allow the head of parliament to succeed the president.
Coming just a month after an apparently popular coup in the neighboring country of Guinea, the double assassinations in Guinea-Bissau are a troubling sign for a region with weak institutions for self-government and strong incentives for corruption.

"This is bad news for the country, and there are real risks of factional fighting between elements of the military," says Richard Moncrieff, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, based in Dakar, Senegal. "But the question now is what direction the Army intervention takes. To my mind, the risks are the mid-level officers, [who] are not used to running a country and tend to react harshly if a problem comes up."

With a weak economy and institutions of governance, it's not surprising that Guinea-Bissau is seen as a haven for criminal enterprises. In recent years, Colombian drug cartels have begun flying small planes across the Atlantic, landing on tiny islands dotting the Guinean coastline. Since Guinea-Bissau has no navy to patrol its waters, the cartels were free to unload tons of cocaine destined for Europe. The drugs were then distributed to impoverished African migrants, who would carry the drugs north by boat to the shores of France, Italy, and Spain. Government corruption, fed by poor government salaries at the bottom and uncertain political leadership at the top, means that Guinea Bissau has few tools to stop the drug trafficking. While the bad blood between Army chief Gen. Tagme na Waie and President Joao Bernando Vieira goes back decades, tensions increased during the country's November 2008 elections, after General Waie accused President Vieira of involvement in the drug trade. After a narrow escape from an assassination attempt in November, Waie publicly stated that the president wanted to get rid of him and was using his personal armed militia of 400 men to hunt him down. "This recent set of killings can be explained [as] the action of the drug traffickers, who would not allow anything to get in the way or to obstruct their links with Europe," says David Zounmenou, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Tshwane, formerly known as Pretoria. "Africans are very reluctant to call for external interventions," Dr. Zounmenou adds, noting that many African countries are still suspicious of Western countries, some of which were colonial rulers less than 50 years ago. "But drug trafficking is not a domestic matter anymore. It affects the stability of many countries, it affects systems of governance, and it allows groups to acquire weapons."

Seven people are being questioned in connection with the murder of John Carroll who was fatally injured in a shooting on Wednesday in a Dublin pub.One woman and three men were arrested last night, while another woman and a man, both in their 20s, were detained this morning.Gardaí arrested a seventh person, a man in his 20s, this afternoon. He is being held at Clondalkin Garda Station.A 30-year-old woman was arrested at her home shortly after 6pm last night and is being held at Kevin Street Garda Station.Three men, all in their 20s, were arrested at Dublin Port shortly before 8pm last night and are being held at Pearse Street, Kilmainham and Harcourt Terrace Garda Stations.Mr Carroll was married with three children and worked as a car salesman.He was shot at Grumpy Jack's pub in the Coombe area of the city at about 9.45pm on Wednesday night.

Matthew John Chubak was gunned down Tuesday afternoon in Dover. The 20-year-old was one of three people struck by gunfire while in an SUV. Chubak died at the scene while two others in the SUV which crashed into a fence were taken to hospital.
Police have not updated the condition of the other two but sources said at least one was shot in the temple and the chest. They said all three are either gang associates or members. As of Wednesday they had no suspect in the shooting.

Four-year-old boy who was shot and killed yesterday afternoon in the southern edge of Echo Park has been identified as Roberto Lopez. The boy -- the fourth Echo Park youngster to be killed in a little more than two years -- was walking home with his sister in the 1200 block of Court Street when a group of men opened fire on a passing car, police told the LA Times. That gunfire struck Roberto, who later died at a hospital.The site of the killing on Court Street is the territory of the Diamond Street gang. It's not clear, however, if this shooting was gang related.This neighborhood south of Temple Street near downtown was cut off from the rest of Echo Park and Angeleno Heights to the north following the construction of the Hollywood Freeway during the late 1940s and 1950s. But it remains the home of important neighborhood institutions, including the Echo Park Library and the Echo Park community pool. Last summer, residents saw the opening of the Ed Roybal Learning Center and Vista Hermosa Park, both located only a short walk from yesterday's shooting.

Escalating feud between rival Calgary gangs took another life Tuesday when an SUV was riddled by gunfire on a busy southeast street, killing one man and seriously wounding two other people inside the vehicle.

The afternoon shooting in Dover Glen renewed the dangers around daylight gang gunplay, as police say bystanders could have been injured or killed by bullets or the careening SUV, which crashed through a fence and into a backyard.

The gunfire broke out as two vehicles headed side by side northbound on 26th Street S. E. just after 2 p. m., said a witness.Brett Barclay was waiting for the bus when he saw a vehicle speed up, then several shots were fired at a silver Dodge Durango, smashing that vehicle's passenger side window.The SUV crossed the centre line, before crashing through a fence and into the backyard of a home on Doverglen Crescent."I turned and I just pretty much froze there and looked at the car," said Barclay, who has been in Calgary a week after arriving from Nova Scotia.Police confirmed the shooting, which is Calgary's fifth homicide of the year, is believed to be gang-related. A violent conflict between the Fresh Off the Boat and FOB Killers that is believed responsible for 20 deaths since 2002.Calling the violence "intolerable," Acting Staff Sgt. Gord Eiriksson of the organized crime operations centre said there could easily have been children in the backyard where the targeted vehicle crashed into the fence.
"The fact that nobody else was seriously hurt or killed, we're fortunate for it," said Eiriksson. "It's very unfortunate that once again these gang members have taken it to the streets and (a person is) dead as a result."Police placed at least 18 pylons, each indicating a casing, along 26 Street.Steve Siddall, a neighbour to the home where the SUV crashed, was feeding his six-month-old daughter when he heard what he said sounded like knocking. He looked outside moments later to see paramedics tending to two men.One of the men was "head to toe covered in blood"and walking to an ambulance with the help of a para-medic. Another man, Siddall said, was taken to the ambulance on a gurney."Nobody's safe around here no more," Siddall said. "It doesn't matter what neighbourhood you live in, it's everywhere.Police later cordoned off an area around a vehicle parked on Cottonwood Crescent, not far from the scene of the shooting. Police say they were investigating whether the vehicle played any part in the gunfire.Tuesday's homicide comes less than two weeks after a gang-related shooting took the lives of three people on New Year's Day at a restaurant in Acadia in the city's southeast. The gunfire killed Sanjeev Mann, reputedly a member of the gang FOB Killers. It also killed bystander Keni Su'a, and another man, Aaron Bendle.No one has been charged in those homicides.

James Maloney (26), who is from Ballymun, died of gunshot wound to the head this afternoon in St James’s Hospital. Michael Cronin (35), originally from Ballymun, died at the Mater hospital less than an hour after the shooting on Wednesday night.Both men were shot as they sat in the front seats of a sports car at Langrishe Place, off Summerhill, in Dublin.The killer was known to the victims and was sitting in the back seat when he opened fire.Gardaí investigating the double murder are hopeful forensic testing on a gun, gloves and jacket found near the crime scene will yield fingerprint or DNA evidence that could help solve the case.A Magnum 357 revolver was found thrown under a car at Gloucester Diamond. A coat with gloves was also found hanging on railings. Gardaí believe all of the items were discarded by the killer.Witnesses have said the man was not wearing the gloves when he ran from the car. Gardaí are hopeful an examination of the gun will yield fingerprint evidence that will lead them to the killer

Antonio Joel Findlater, who is in his mid-20s, was ordered out of the country after an Immigration and Refugee Board member found him inadmissible to Canada because of his links to a notorious Calgary gang, the Clippers.The deportation hearing also shed new light on the gang, whose membership was reportedly gutted during a massive Calgary police probe in 2007.Findlater was escorted by Canada Border Services Agency agents to the airport from the Calgary Remand Centre on Wednesday, said agency spokeswoman Lisa White."I can confirm that Antonio Findlater, a known member of the violent street gang the Clippers, was removed from Canada on Jan. 7,"White said Saturday.Findlater denied being a gang member, but was held in custody pending his removal because he was deemed a flight risk and danger to the public.A permanent resident of Canada since May 1997,he was one of 19 suspects swept up last year as part of a police operation that targeted the Clippers.At an Oct. 1, 2008 immigration hearing, Findlater was ordered deported after he was found inadmissible on the grounds of his connection to "organized criminality."During the hearing, Findlater's lawyer pointed out that the police evidence on his client's alleged gang affiliation was based, in part, on informants known to have made mistakes and who themselves had criminal backgrounds. There was also no affidavit evidence from court linking Findlater to gangs.Findlater had three convictions: theft under $5,000, possession of a weapon and uttering threats.In July 2006, court proceedings were stayed against Findlater, who had been charged with stabbing a man who was then shot at a dance in the northeast."I'm not a gang member, never been involved in organized crime," Findlater said in a detention review hearing.The lawyer for the federal government previously provided witness evidence that painted Findlater as a core Clipper gang member linked to violent events.In making his decision to deport Findlater, board member Paul Kyba said he accepted the evidence of gang links."Additionally, Mr. Findlater, through your involvement in weapons, illicit drugs and threats and intimidation, you did, in my opinion, engage in gang or organized crime activity," said Kyba.Police say they hope to use some of the strategies used in Findlater's hearing in their case against another alleged gangster, Jackie Tran.
"If (gang affiliation) is a contributing factor that actually made this happen, that's certainly something we've always said we need to explore," said Acting Staff Sgt. Gord Eiriksson.According to White, Calgary border service officers have removed 68 violent criminals in the past two years, including gang members, individuals on America's Most Wanted and other serious offenders.Removal of gang members on the basis of their organized crime links, though, is unusual, she said.Authorities didn't release Findlater's destination, though according to the hearing, the federal government "fully informed the Jamaican authorities of Mr. Findlater's current situation."Mount Royal College criminologist Doug King said the deportation sheds light on how important it is for all aspects of the justice system to flow smoothly in the fight against crime.

The incident happened in Rose Castle in BK, New York around December 26th, 2008. Jim Jones was not their but ByrdGang was def in the building. After Byrdgang started trouble, police came in and started to pepper spray everyone, and a witness told us even Max B got punched by a cop. Hovain reports "Max! Had a show lastnight and the usally jim jones bird gang niccas came threw and max had to leave threw the back door and all of his homies had to form a circle around em. Bird gang came threw and fucked up max show throwing bottles ans tables back and forth and max ran outta there"

Florida is one of the top states for the illegal export of guns, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which investigated this case. In 2007, Tampa ranked fourth statewide among sources of illegal guns used in crimes.
Seven members of a ring that smuggled hundreds of guns from Florida and sold them to street gangs in Puerto Rico have received prison sentences ranging from one to 14 years.Defense attorneys said today that two people who cooperated in the early stages of the investigation were killed in Puerto Rico. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Toro-Font said details will be made public next week when other defendants are sentenced.Among the six defendants sentenced today was Eliud Benitez-Ayala, 39, a former San Juan police officer who must serve 3 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in the ring."It's a dark and gloomy day when someone who has previously been connected to law enforcement is brought to court to be sentenced for criminal conduct," Toro-Font said.When Benitez-Ayala was arrested in an Orlando hotel room, investigators found a cache of weapons, including rifles with their serial numbers obliterated, Toro-Font said. They also found a tool that could be used to grind off the numbers.The prosecutor said circumstantial evidence suggested the former police officer was giving the other defendants information on how to avoid detection.But defense attorney Pedro Amador said his client played a low-level role in the conspiracy and merely rented a car for other members of the ring.Also sentenced today were: Elliott Torres-Casanova, 28, to five years in prison; Myrna Melendez, 56, to 18 months; William Lopez Pereira, 30, to five years; David Colon Rohena, 47, to 18 months; and his wife, Magda Colon, 46, to one year.U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara on Thursday sentenced Joel Quintana-Ortiz, 42, to 14 years in prison. Quintana-Ortiz, who previously was convicted of conspiring to import heroin, sent guns to the ring's leader in exchange for cocaine. He provided money to other conspirators and told them what kinds of guns to buy.All but two of the 15 charged in the case have pleaded guilty to involvement in the ring that purchased guns from legitimate dealers in Florida from 2004 through 2007 and shipped them to Puerto Rico disguised as other items. The remaining two defendants are awaiting trial in an Ohio death penalty case, Toro-Font said.The gun ring participants purchased firearms from 25 dealers in places including Tampa, Port Richey, New Port Richey, Hudson, Palm Harbor and Spring Hill. They bought as many as 20 guns in a day – eight from a single dealer – claiming they were for personal use.Most of the firearms were "AK-47 type rifles," records state.Six more defendants are scheduled to be sentenced next week.

Mexican violence has grown more widespread, grotesque and sensational since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the traffickers last year, sending 20,000 troops and thousands of federal agents to drug hotspots. An estimated 4500 people have been killed since, 700 last month. On Thursday alone, 30 people were found dead, including 13 in northwestern Sinaloa state found face-down with their hands tied behind their backs in a bus, riddled with bullets. Last weekend in the border city of Tijuana, 37 people were murdered, including four children. Nine of the adults were decapitated, including three police officers whose badges were stuffed in their mouths. Alberto Capella Ibarra, Tijuana's former police chief, said in a radio interview last weekend the violence was "the consequence of so many years of impunity, so many years of discomposition of institutions, so many years that we allowed this to grow". Mr Capella was sacked last week. Last month, The Weekend Australian travelled to the frontline of the drug wars. In Sinaloa's capital Culiacan, home of at least two cartels and now Mexico's most violent city, multiple murder, torture and beheadings are a daily occurrence and the kidnapping and corruption of police officers is routine. Just after 8.30 one morning, Enrique Gonzalez was having breakfast at a Culiacan cafe. A man got out of a car, walked up behind him and shot him several times in the back with an AK-47 automatic rifle before calmly walking back to the car and driving away. When we arrived just 15 minutes later, his body lay contorted under his chair, three bullet holes bleeding through his white shirt. He was a police officer. Local crime reporter Manuel Inzunza said he had known Gonzalez for 20 years, that he was a good friend, an honest cop - and head of the city's homicide squad. "You know, this is the 10th member of Culiacan's homicide squad to be killed since May, almost the entire unit has been wiped out. The cartels have targeted the homicide squad because they don't want any of the gang murders investigated," he said. "When you see police officers getting killed every day, it means there is no guarantee of safety for anybody."
Culiacan is the nearest city to the wild badlands of the Sierra Madre mountains, where several drug lords originally came from. It is now on a principal drug trafficking route from South America to the US and Europe, a money-laundering centre and a front line in the Government's war on the drug trade. "We are seeing the Colombianisation of Mexico," said one Culiacan journalist. "We are paying the price for not paying attention to this when we should have; now it is out of control."
Mercedes Murillo, a human rights investigator in Culiacan, said 3000 people had died in the state in four years. "Ninety per cent of them are involved in drugs, but the other 10 per cent are killed just like in a war - this is a war."

In Culiacan in one week we saw the victims of at least 16 murders. Five men were executed in scrub 60km north of Culiacan. One had been handcuffed, four had been lined up and clearly shot one by one, a fifth man looked like he had been shot while trying to run away.

The father of two of the dead said he had no idea why they were killed. The code of silence in these areas is complete. "There is so much money (in drugs) that the real problem here is the link between the drug trafficking cartels, people laundering money and building business empires - and then that money being used to back politicians who get into places like the state parliament who then offer the gangs protection," she said. "Until you attack this, the problem is going to continue. There used to be a line between us and them - that line no longer exists." The gangs make $34 billion a year smuggling heroin, marijuana, methamphetamines and most importantly Colombian cocaine to the insatiable West. According to the Australian Crime Commission, Mexico ranks behind only Chile, Canada, Hong Kong and China as the largest source of cocaine shipments into Australia. In 2006-07, the amount of cocaine seized on its way into Australia jumped by more than 600 per cent to 610kg, compared with the 83kg detected the year before.

man was charged Friday with two counts of attempted murder in the shooting of a Chicago police tactical officer, an Army veteran who returned from a tour of Iraq in April.The officer, whom police did not identify, was working with a team in the Logan Square neighborhood Thursday night when they encountered Juan Romero, 18, who they knew to be an Imperial Gangster gang member, said police spokeswoman Monique Bond. Police had been receiving emergency calls about Romero, Bond said, but he ran from officers. Romero allegedly opened fire near Belden and Kedzie Avenues around 10 p.m., hitting one officer's shoulder, police said. Authorities said Romero of the 1500 block of North Oakley Boulevard also was shot and taken to a hospital, where he was in fair condition.He is scheduled to appear in Bond Court Saturday. If convicted, he would face 20 to 80 years in prison.The wounded officer, 32, a member of the Army National Guard since 1995, remained hospitalized Friday, police said. He joined the Chicago Police Department in 2001, police said.A weapon was recovered at the scene, police said.

Ian "Blink" McDonald was arrested after clashing with a prison officer on a jail visit.Trouble flared when the convicted bank robber went to see a pal who is serving life for murder in Glenochil prison, near Stirling.The Glasgow hardman, 47, became embroiled in a row after turning up with Paisley crime boss Grant McIntosh - known as "Mr P" because of his grip on his home town.McIntosh has served time for drugs and violence including a stretch in Glenochil in the 1980s.A source said: "They had passed through security when they were asked to get their hands swabbed for drugs.
"McIntosh recognised an officer he had problems with on the inside and words were said."The whole thing blew up with McDonald wading in and the two of them were locked in a holding area and police were called."They were strip searched and McDonald was handcuffed and arrested."McDonald was taken to Stirling police station and released. He is expected to appear at Alloa Sheriff Court on December 17 charged with breach of the peace.It is the latest in a string of run-in swith police for McDonald.He was arrested last month at Glasgow airport when he stepped off a plane from Spain - for running a red light.He was nabbed off the holiday flight for failing to appear in court in connection with the driving offence in June.He spent the weekend in custody and got three penalty points and a £75 fine at Glasgow District Court.McDonald, who was jailed for 16 years in 1992 for a bank robbery, is serving a three month ban for speeding at 104mph in Dumfries

The murderer of Kremlin critic, journalist Anna Politkovskaya received $2 million to carry out the deed, a witness testified in a Moscow military court on Friday. Witness Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who is currently serving a 12 year sentence for an unrelated crime, gave evidence on Friday in a closed court after prosecutors stated he could be in possession of sensitive information of state importance. Gaitukayev is a relative of the two Chechen brothers Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov who are on trial as accomplices in the murder. According to the defence lawyer, an unnamed Russian politician is named in the indictment as paying for the contract murder.

Jennifer Hudson’s former brother-in-law William Balfour is the only murder suspect that the Chicago cops have identified in connection to the Hudson family murders. Balfour has yet to be charged with the three Hudson slayings but the authorities have kept him in jail on parole violation charges.

Saddest thing in life is wasted talent. These words may come back to haunt Brancato as the "Sopranos" actor appeared in court Monday for the start of his murder trial.
Brancato, 32, is charged with burglary and second-degree murder in the shooting death of off-duty cop Daniel Enchautegui after a break-in on Dec. 10, 2005.
"Wasted talent - in the movie, that was the theme," said Mike Cruz, 44, a Parkchester, Bronx, man who said he watched "A Bronx Tale" seven times and decided to attend the first day of jury selection at Bronx Supreme Court. "It's kind of ironic to be here now," said Cruz, who wore a feathered velvet fedora. "This is life imitating art."Brancato made his acting debut as Robert De Niro's son in the acclaimed 1993 crime drama. After Judge Martin Marcus informed the jury pool that the defendant is an actor, some potential jurors also took aim at the decisions Brancato has made."So many people would have given their right arm to star in a nationally known film, and he made this choice," one woman told the judge. "I don't think I can be impartial." She was excused.Jury selection is expected to last through the end of this week.Prosecutors contend Brancato, though unarmed, was part of a drug burglary that preceded the early morning shootout.That would make him guilty like his junkie pal and triggerman Steven Armento, 51, who was convicted last month of first-degree murder. Brancato's lawyers will try to show there was no burglary.

Mexican fugitive wanted in connection with a homicide in Los Angeles has been arrested near Dulzura about four miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
A Border Patrol spokesman said Monday that Guadalupe Torres-Rangel and four other Mexican nationals were taken into custody Sunday afternoon. During processing, agents found that Torres-Rangel had an outstanding felony warrant.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department's Web site, Torres-Rangel was wanted for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit extortion in a 2007 gang-related incident that left a 23-day-old baby dead and a man injured. Torres-Rangel was turned over to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and is awaiting extradition to Los Angeles.

Civilian ownership of semi automatic pistols, such as the Glock, is to be banned under a new move by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.There are currently 1,900 legally held handguns, up from a handful in 2004. The number of handgun licences has mushroomed in recent years, following successful court challenges by shooting groups.
Mr Ahern told the Dail last night that he would bring forward legislation to deal with the handguns issue.A source close to the minister stressed today: "This is not a measure to tackle gangland crime. It's a totally separate issue."The Minister understands there is no connection between gangland crime and legally held handguns. But he is concerned about the proliferation of handguns in society. There are nearly 2,000 legally held handguns, and in a year's time there could be 5,000."The ban will hit semi automatic pistols such as the Austrian made Glock, which has also featured in many gangland murders in Dublin and Limerick.However, the source said there could be some room for exemption for "lower calibre" handguns used in Olympic sports, such as .22 pistols.

One of the victims of a shootout in Chinatown on Sunday is a pal of known gangster Jackie Tran.While police have said that all the people involved were members of gangs, Shaun Roberts has a little bigger connection.He's the one who stood up for Tran at a detention review hearing at the end of October.He told the immigration officials that a man mistaken for Tran in a car was actually him, not Tran as a police officer had testified.Four people have been charged in Sunday's gunplay.Sources said one of the victims struck with bullets during the shooting is Shaun Roberts, who stuck up for Tran at a detention review hearing against allegations he breached curfew Oct. 25.
Though a constable testified Tran was the man in an SUV he spoke to while investigating a fight in Kensington that day, Roberts told the detention review hearing police mistook him for his friend. Police said Tran, who was released from custody Saturday pending his ongoing deportation hearings, was not involved in Sunday's shooting in Chinatown but that he is associated to one of the two groups that were. Cops charged four people, including another friend of Tran's, 23-year-old Daniel Landry, with four counts of attempted murder and causing bodily harm with intent in connection to the shooting. Also charged are Marcel Landry, 25, Chantha Kim, 31, and a 17-year-old male who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Acting Insp. Grant Miller said those involved in the shooting are known gang members, and further arrests and charges are possible.

Brian Nichols was convicted Friday of murdering four people in a shooting rampage that began at a courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia. The jury next must decide whether he should be executed for his crimes.Brian Nichols was found guilty of murdering four people and now faces the dealth penalty.Jurors returned the verdict to a hushed courtroom a few minutes before 3 p.m. Friday. They deliberated for about 12 hours over two days.Nichols, 36, stood in silence as the 40-page verdict form was read. He was found guilty of all 54 counts, including murder, kidnapping, robbery and escape in the March 2005 rampage that began at the Fulton County Courthouse.Jurors will return to court Monday morning for the trial's death penalty phase, said Cobb County Superior Court Judge James Bodiford. Bodiford was brought into the case after a Fulton County judge was disqualified. Some spectators in the courtroom dabbed their eyes, but all heeded Bodiford's stern warning that any emotional outburst would bring contempt of court charges and up to 20 days in jail. A judge, a court reporter, a deputy and a federal agent were killed in the shooting rampage.The crime triggered panic throughout metro Atlanta and Nichols was arrested 26 hours after his escape following the largest manhunt in Georgia history. He was taken into custody in neighboring Gwinnett County, where he held a woman hostage in her apartment.
Nichols confessed to the killings but claimed he was legally insane and gripped by a delusional compulsion that he was a slave rebelling against authority. Jurors rejected defense arguments that he was legally insane or mentally ill at the time. Nichols was accused of overpowering Fulton County sheriff's deputy Cynthia Hall on March 11, 2005, as he was being led into a courtroom where he was facing a second trial on rape charges.Officials say he took Hall's gun from a lockbox and fatally shot three people at the courthouse: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes, court reporter Julie Ann Brandau and Fulton County sheriff's Sgt. Hoyt Teasley, who attempted to apprehend him outside the building.Nichols also was convicted of killing David Wilhelm, a federal customs agent, hours later at Wilhelm's home in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.Prosecutors have said Nichols confessed to the shootings shortly after his arrest. The defense did not dispute whether he was the gunman, focusing instead on his mental state and claiming he suffers from a disorder that "overmastered" his will to refrain from criminal acts.
The jury is made up of five African-American women, two white women, three African-American men, a white man and an Asian-American man, court officials said. Their options were to convict Nichols, find him guilty but mentally ill, acquit him or find him not guilty by reason of insanity.In the penalty phase, jurors will hear impact statements from the victims' relatives and decide whether to spare Nichols' life.Nichols' trial has been plagued by delays. In October 2007, Judge Hilton Fuller of DeKalb County, who was appointed to hear the case, abruptly halted jury selection on what would have been its third day, accepting a defense motion to stop the trial until questions of funding for Nichols' lawyers were resolved.In January, Fuller recused himself from the case after a New Yorker magazine article written by Jeffrey Toobin, who is also a CNN senior legal analyst, quoted him as saying the "only defense" open to Nichols was insanity, "because everyone in the world knows he did it."Also in January, Nichols' defense attorneys said in court filings that they intended to use a mental-illness defense, claiming Nichols suffered from a "delusional compulsion" at the time of the slayings.They said he has been diagnosed with a disorder that involves delusions of persecution, as well as grandiose thinking. Those suffering from such a disorder may function normally and behave rationally, defense attorneys said, but when they encounter circumstances that "touch their delusions, the delusional disorder will preoccupy them and instruct their thinking and actions."Ashley Smith, the woman Nichols held hostage, has written a book and spoken publicly about how she kicked her addiction to methamphetamine after the ordeal. During their seven hours together, she has said, she gave Nichols drugs but refused to use them with him -- and has not used them since. Smith, who has married and is now known as Ashley Smith Robinson, testified at Nichols' trial

Accused of being gangster Allan Foster’s paid police insider told a court he had been foolish to become friends with the drug baron and killer.But John Jones denied he had ever done anything illegal or corrupt.He rubbished accusations that he had snorted cocaine and was treated to an evening with an escort girl during a wild night with Foster in London.At Newcastle Crown Court, he claimed he thought the convicted drug dealer – who is still on the run after the murder of David “Noddy” Rice in a South Shields car park in 2006 – had walked away from crime.“I didn’t realise he was going to murder somebody,” Jones told investigators. “I thought he was a mate who was a reformed character and wanted to get on with his life.”Jones, 47, had been attached to Northumbria Police’s Crime Operations Department. The court heard he had recruited Foster as a police informer before passing him on to the National Crime Squad.The pair became friends while training at the same County Durham gym, the court heard.Jones told investigators during an interview he had never accepted cash or gifts to cover Foster’s back by scanning police intelligence files.And although he accepted he had been shopping and drinking with Foster during a trip to London, he said the trip had been “a one-off” and he’d done nothing illegal.“I totally deny taking or having anything to do with cocaine,” Jones said after he was arrested in his Land Rover Discovery on June 6, 2007.“I wasn’t using escorts. It had nothing to do with me.”Jones claimed the London trip was the only time he had socialised with Foster away from the gym.He told officers he realised he had made a mistake by letting a friendship develop.“I was foolish, but there was no criminal intent,” Jones said. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong.“I will be honest, I did like the lad. I got on well with him.“We appeared to have lots in common. There was never a break in conversation.“He was always pleasant to be with. Hands up, I have been a fool, stupid.”Prosecutors say Foster, 32, assassinated Rice – one of his dealers – weeks after his contact with Jones came to an end because the detective failed to tip him off about a raid at one of his homes.Jones denies charges of misconduct in a public office between March 2003 and June 2007.Co-accused Bruce McCall, 42, a gym owner from Seaham, County Durham, denies aiding and abetting Jones as well as drug charges.

QUEENSLAND bikies have called a truce to discuss action over the State Government’s plan to strip them of their prized club colours and insignias.The Government is looking at a bold move adopted by US authorities, who have sought a court injunction under forfeiture laws to seize the trademark on the name of the Mongols bikie gang. If successful, US police would have the power to demand Mongol members remove their club patch or “colours”, which bear the gang insignia – the most prized possession in the bikie culture.Several Australian-based bikie gangs, including the Hells Angels, have a trademark over their name. Police Minister Judy Spence said she would ask the state’s police bikie Task Force Hydra to consider the move. It comes as the State Government is looking at introducing tough laws against outlaw motorcycle gangs that have been implemented in South Australia and Western Australia, where it is illegal for gang members to associate.The Australian Crime Commission has deemed bikie gangs to be a significant criminal threat nationwide. The Sunday Mail also can reveal that 10 of the 14 resident bikie gangs in Queensland called a truce to meet at a secret location on Brisbane’s southside to discuss the proposed anti-bikie laws. Gangs sent two to three representatives to a suburban Brisbane coffee shop two weeks ago to the meeting organised by the Hells Angels.Members attended unarmed, not wearing club colours, and were not allowed to bring mobile phones. They told The Sunday Mail that if the Government moved to ban the wearing of colours or introduced laws similar to SA or WA, the gangs would take legal action.“If there are no colours, how dangerous do you think that will be for police and the public, not being to able identify us?” he said. “No colours will break down barriers between us and we will work together. That means there will be more drug deals and more murders,” another bikie warned.SA Premier Mike Rann has called for other states and territories to adopt the groundbreaking laws to prevent outlaw gang members fleeing to other states. Under the legislation, the SA Attorney-General can declare a criminal bikie gang an outlaw organisation and confiscate their assets, including their motorcycles.
This week the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Crime Commission will hold hearings in Brisbane for their inquiry into legislative arrangements to outlaw serious and organised crime groups.And if the outlaw clubs do decide on legal action, it is in our (CMC’s and the general biking populace) interest to support them in their efforts to stop laws that see an individual’s rights removed just because he chooses to live his life (legally) the way he wants, not the way the government wants him/them to.It’s not only bikies, it’s car club’s, football supporters, religious organisations - don’t laugh, the time will come when a car club for example begins to get a touch rowdy and everyone wearing a patch/badge indicating membership of said car club will find themselves up before a judge. Just remember “not everyone is a criminal, and just because you wear a patch does not a criminal make.”

John Connolly, who now faces life in prison, was the handler of two New England mobsters, James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, who were FBI informants for three decades. The scandal, in which Connolly protected them from prosecution for alleged murder and numerous other crimes in return for $235,000 (£150,000) in bribes, was considered one of the worst failures in the FBI's history.John Callahan, a casino executive with links to organised crime, was shot dead in 1982 after John Connolly warned Boston mobsters he might implicate them in other killings. It spawned several books and inspired the main characters in the Oscar-winning Martin Scorsese film The Departed, in which Matt Damon played a corrupt Connolly-like police officer and Jack Nicholson was a Boston mobster modelled on Bulger, currently the FBI's second most wanted man. The film also echoed the Connolly affair in the character of an undercover policeman, played by Leonardo diCaprio, who joined Bulger's gang. However, in real life, the officer became a criminal and was jailed for 10 years. Jurors deliberated for less than three days before delivering their verdict on Connolly following a two-month trial. He was acquitted of first degree murder and conspiracy, and will be sentenced in December.
Connolly, now 68, was already in jail after being convicted of racketeering charges. The court heard how the bullet-ridden body of Mr Callahan, an accountant, was found in the boot of his Cadillac at Miami airport. Defence lawyers had argued that the mobsters had already decided to kill Callahan and that Connolly was "caught in the middle" and simply did his job as an FBI handler. "Him and other agents like him were the tip of the spear in the fight against the mafia," said Manuel Casabielle, defending. But various convicted mobsters including Flemmi and John Martorano, a hitman who killed Callahan, testified that Connolly went much further than his FBI role required. They said he repeatedly tipped them off about possible "rats" in their own ranks that needed elimination. Prosecutors said at least two other men who were FBI informants died violently because of Connolly's leaks. The court heard that Callahan died after Connolly learnt his FBI colleagues were to question him. Connolly feared Callahan might reveal how he had persuaded the mobsters to kill a business rival, who they shot dead with a bullet between the eyes at a golf club.
"This wasn't a mistake," said Michael Von Zamft, prosecuting. Connolly "knew what he was doing each and every time he gave out information and somebody died," he said.
A Connolly tip-off also helped Bulger escape arrest in 1995. A suspect in 19 murders, he is still on the run and the FBI recently increased its reward for him to $2 million. He was last seen in Piccadilly Circus, London, in September 2002.

Arrested with the execution of a search warrant in Dover at 11 Palm St. were Ruben Gonzalez, 40, Allan Cordero Chaparro, 21, Joel Omar Traverso, 28, and Ismael D. Chaparro, 23, all of that address. At 63 Sammis St., in Dover, Barbara O’Donnell, 50, of that address was arrested.In addition, in Denville, at Ruben’s Auto Repair, Luis Mojica-Santella, 46, was arrested.At a 369 Washington Ave., apartment in Victory Gardens, Guillermo Delacruz, 42, of that address was arrested.Also, at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, members of the Wharton Police Department assigned to the operation stopped a 1991 Dodge pickup truck driven stop on Princeton Avenue in Wharton of a 1991 Dodge pickup. At the time of the stop, the operator of the vehicle, Ramfis Ramirez-Lugo was found to be armed with a semi-automatic handgun loaded with hollow point bullets. He was arrested without incident.Delacruz was charged with four counts of possession of narcotics, four counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and four counts of distribution of cocaine. His bail was set at $300,000.Gonzalez was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, distribution of cocaine, two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines, receiving stolen property for possession of a stolen motorcycle and possession of narcotics paraphernalia. His bail was set at $150,000.Mojica-Santella was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines, receiving stolen property for possession of a stolen motorcycle, possession of cocaine and possession of narcotics paraphernalia. His bail was set at $150,000.Cordero-Chaparro was charged with two counts of possession of narcotics, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and two counts of distribution of cocaine. His bail was $100,000.Ramirez-Lugo was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of assault weapons, a count of unlawful possession of a weapon, 10 counts of unlawful possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines and 13 counts of unlawful possession of silencers. His bail was set at $100,000.O’Donnell was charged with possession of narcotics, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine. His bail was $100,000.
Traverso was charged with a count of possession of narcotics, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine.Chaparro was charged with possession of narcotics paraphernalia.“These arrests again represent the benefits of intelligence/community led policing strategy,” said the prosecutor.
“In the past two operations, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has been able to remove from the streets of Morris County numerous guns, assault firearms, numerous kilos of narcotics and sizable amounts of cash received from illegal activities. This would have been impossible without the support and guidance of Attorney General Anne Milgram, Director Jose Cordero, in conjunction with the significant assistance of the Dover, Wharton, Denville, and Randolph police Departments, as well as, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Police and the Human Services Police Department. The citizens of Morris County are safer today as a result of the efforts of these fine law enforcement personnel. We have been investigating this incident throughout the weekend and additional arrests are anticipated.”Bianchi said the his office is now working with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the New Jersey State Police to determine if the seized weapons were used in any other violent crimes.The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Enforcement Unit and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Tactical Narcotic Team (TNT) in conjunction with the New Jersey State Police Street Gangs Unit, New Jersey State Police T.E.A.M.S., Morris County Sheriff’s Office (SERT, CIS & K-9), Morris County Park Police, Dover Police Department, Randolph Township Police Department, New Jersey Human Services Police Department and the Denville Township Police Department executed three simultaneous search warrants in Dover, Victory Gardens and Denville. A fourth search warrant was executed in Wharton and an individual arrest warrant was executed at a Dover residence.The investigation is a continuing effort of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Enforcement Unit, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Crime Task Force, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey State Police Street Gangs Unit and the New Jersey State Police T.E.A.M.S, Morris County Sheriff’s Office (SERT, CIS & K-9), Morris County Park Police, Dover Police Department, Randolph Township Police Department, State of New Jersey Human Services Police Department and the Denville Township Police Department. The investigation is part of an ongoing statewide initiative which was launched in response to Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s Strategy for Safe Streets and Neighborhoods, and at the Direction of Attorney General Anne Milgram and Director Jose Cordero.

Dennis Karbovanec, 27, was wearnig a bullet-proof vest when he was stopped in his vehicle by Abbotsford Police about 1:30 p.m. last Thursday. Media officer Const. Casey Vinet said today that Karbovanec was driving his black GMC Yukon at Matsqui Trail Park on Riverside Road when police pulled him over.A check of the driver revealed he was wanted on an outstanding warrant out of Mission. A search of the vehicle later revealed a loaded handgun and suppressor (silencer) in a hidden compartment," Vinet said in a news release.The charges laid include possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of weapon for dangerous purpose and possession of a firearm contrary to order. Karbovanec's arrest came just two days after Joe Krantz, another organized criminal in a rival gang, was gunned down at his Abbotsford extreme fighting club.

Jesse Norman Imeson was sentenced to life in prison Monday after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree murder: One for strangling Carlos Rivera of Windsor, Ont., to death and two for the shooting deaths of Bill and Helene Regier in their Mount Carmel, Ont., farmhouse. Imeson, 23, will not be eligible to apply for parole for 25 years.Crown Attorney Bob Morris said the sentence was the maximum punishment allowable under Canadian law.Jesse Imeson's lawyer, Don Crawford of London, Ont., said earlier this month that Imeson was prepared to plead guilty to lesser charges.
I don't think there will ever be satisfaction, but at least there will be some closure," Morris said.In handing down his sentence at the Huron County Courthouse in Goderich, Justice Roland Haines described Imeson's crimes as "savage" and expressed condolences to the families of Imeson's three victims.Imeson was originally charged with first-degree murder for all three deaths. The second-degree murder charges were part of a plea bargain jointly submitted by the Crown and Imeson's lawyer.Haines noted that despite-second degree murder being a lesser charge, the penalty Imeson has received would have been the same if he were convicted of first-degree murder.
The conviction and sentencing closes a bloody saga that began in July of 2007 when Imeson became the subject of an intense police manhunt.The court heard that Imeson used a canvas belt with metal rings to strangle 25-year-old Rivera to death in Imeson's Windsor rooming house on July 18, 2007. Imeson committed the murder after waking to discover Rivera performing oral sex on him. DNA evidence showed Imeson's semen in Rivera's mouth and on his shirt.As Windsor assistant Crown Attorney Jennifer Holmes recited the final statements on Rivera's murder, Imeson shifted in his seat, smirked occasionally, and at one point nodded and said softly "That's right."Many of Rivera's family - including his father, mother and two of his brothers - were in court. They were originally expected to read victim impact statements, but Holmes said they were too overcome with emotion to speak before the court.Reading from a statement written by Rivera's mother, Maria Elena Balcazar, Holmes said: "Since my son's life was stolen, I have felt dead inside.Balcazar wore sunglasses in the courtroom. As she heard the proceedings through an interpreter, she dabbed at her eyes.The court also heard that on the night of July 22, 2007, Imeson broke into the house of Bill Regier, 72, and his wife Helene, 73 - a well-respected couple who had spent their entire lives in the small farming community of Mount Carmel near Grand Bend, about 185 kilometres north of Windsor. Using a .22 rifle he had stolen from another farm, Imeson forced the couple into the basement of their home, and bound them both with telephone cord, extension cord and clothesline. He then shot each of them multiple times.Helene Regier suffered bullet wounds to her right shoulder, neck, chest, and under her chin. Bill Regier was shot twice in the chest, and once in the right temple.Leaving the bodies bound, Imeson raided the Regiers' home for money, food and clothing, then stole their truck.Imeson was eventually captured on July 31 in heavily wooded cottage country on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River.Carole Denomy, one of the Regiers' six children, said the family has been shattered by the murders, and that the deaths still bring "indescribable pain."As Denomy read a statement in court, members of the Regier family cried in the stands."We are consumed by their absence," Denomy said.
Outside the courthouse, Denomy said the family had come to the hearing neither for sympathy nor an apology, "but rather to see that justice was served.""No sentence will ever be adequate for the lives that have been taken."

This month, West Hollywood officials met to discuss whether to suspend the business license of one of the strip's most renowned clubs, after a brawl inside and outside of the House of Blues involving more than 100 people shut down the strip for almost an entire evening in September.It was the latest of several incidents at the venue that city officials said have resulted in more than 40 arrests over the past 12 months.The situation at the House of Blues -- which civic leaders fear could keep people away from the area should it escalate -- is especially problematic because it comes as the strip is seeing a luxury boom.A series of buildings and hotels along the Sunset Strip recently have undergone drastic overhauls, bringing in more glitz, more glamour and more high-end destinations, in the hopes of luring chic, wealthy customers to the mile-and-a-half stretch.The former Bel-Age Hotel, which was originally built as an apartment building, reopened this year as the London West Hollywood. Hoping to attract an entertainment-industry clientele, the hotel features a rooftop pool lounge and suites with embossed leather upholstery, dual-head showers and hand-cut mosaic tiles.The Mondrian Hotel -- with its famed Skybar -- has been "rejuvenated," according to the hotel's website, with a white-curtained lobby and "Mondrian marigold." The Hyatt hotel also is being remodeled -- and rebranded as Andaz, one of the hotel chain's higher-end resorts.Eateries are going upscale, too: The past two years have seen the arrival of BLT Steak, the "ultra-lounge" One Sunset and Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant just off the marbled lobby of the London, among others.Even the strip itself is getting a face-lift; a beautification project that includes resurfacing pavement, replacing sidewalks, improving signage and planting trees along the street is in the design stage."It is becoming a bit more upscale," said Vincent Mercurio, general manager of the London West Hollywood. "But it's definitely sharpening its edge. And I think people are excited about it."
Those upgrades, combined with old stalwart attractions of the strip - musical venues such as the Whisky a Go-Go and the Roxy and shopping destinations such as Sunset Plaza - are what some West Hollywood boosters say is necessary to attract the right clientele."People who like to go out, and used to come exclusively to us, have other options," Mayor Jeffrey Prang said. The new and improved hotels are "entertainment-driven." Their customers, he said, "are not going to stay at the Holiday Inn in the Central Valley; this is a hip, entertainment-industry set."And those customers are the ones that civic and business leaders in West Hollywood - which controls most of the strip - cannot afford to lose.The review of the House of Blues' permit was proposed by West Hollywood Council Member John Heilman, who said he became concerned about a series of incidents at the venue.Within the past year, events at the House of Blues have led to 44 arrests for incidents including fights, drunken and disorderly behavior, and grand theft, according to statistics in a report the council member released. During the same time, there have been more than 100 sheriff's radio dispatches to the venue.The House of Blues is one of the strip's biggest draws. But Heilman said it's important for the club's management to get a handle on the problems.Officials have been working in recent years to reduce crime and crack down on clubs.
In 2004, the city revoked the conditional use permit of Dublin's Irish Whiskey Pub after repeated issues with violence, overcrowding and underage activity, among other things."They were a problem business," Prang said. "They seemed either unwilling or unable to manage their affairs."Representatives at the House of Blues did not return calls for comment. But several people in the community said that they were confident the same fate would not befall the House of Blues and that the club would work with city officials to better handle future outbreaks."It's an unfortunate situation," said Sharon Sandow, chief executive of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. "I feel strongly that it will all be remedied. They are very responsive," she said of the House of Blues.Prang said he understands the stakes involved should something go seriously wrong.
He cited a case in Westwood Village, where a 27-year-old woman was killed in 1988, an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a gang rivalry. The shopping and entertainment district surrounding the University of California, Los Angeles, never fully recovered."Business dried up overnight," Prang said. "We are concerned about that."

Gang members are suspected in several crimes from Prince William County to Baltimore. In Washington's Trinidad neighborhood, where police are battling an increase in violence this year, young people are wearing the Bloods' colors and flashing their hand signs. However, police say they haven't tied the gang to any homicides in the neighborhood. The Bloods and the Crips, well-known gangs on the West Coast, are a growing concern for law enforcement in the Washington area.
"We've started seeing more and more signs of the Crips and Bloods -- more Bloods than Crips," D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said. "We are seeing a growing presence in the graffiti, the clothing, the symbols."
In Montgomery County, authorities have linked a shooting and three stabbings to a Bloods-Crips feud. In February, a federal grand jury in Baltimore indicted 28 members of a gang called the Tree Top Piru Bloods on charges including murder, robbery, drug trafficking and witness intimidation. Bob Bermingham, gang prevention coordinator in Fairfax County, said in some cases, local crews are adopting the names of the well-known gangs. "They run around saying we are the Ravenswood Boys, and everybody says, 'So what?' " he said. "But if they say they're the Ravenswood Bloods, suddenly they have some credibility." But Capt. Bill Lynn, of the Prince George's County police, said "wannabes" can be just as dangerous because they have something to prove. The ranks of the two gangs are growing in part because men join the gangs for protection when they're in jail. When they get out, they bring other people into the groups. Authorities said about 25 percent of the 1,300 inmates in the Prince George's jail are affiliated with gangs and that more than 60 percent of the gang members are Bloods. Virginia officials have identified about 2,000 Bloods and 700 Crips in state prisons.