AZ,Tucson: Gang violence grows; fear escalates here

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Tomas Luna's fate was written on the bedroom wall of longtime enemy Manuel Cordova, who maintained a "shrine to the South Side Crips," with signs saying "Bloods Killer."

Cordova, an associate of the Crips street gang, stabbed Luna seven times, killing the 19-year-old associate of the Bloods outside Tucson Mall in April, according to Friday testimony in Superior Court.

More on the Web:

Tucson Police Department Web site

California Gang Investigator's Association

Evaluation of the Tucson Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach to Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Program

Tucson police are identifying more gang-related violent crime such as the killing of Luna. Although the increases are partially the result of better identification of gang activity, gangs are clearly a leading cause of Tucson violence, police say.

Gang violence is creating fear in neighborhoods and making some residents afraid to leave home at night. Gang-related homicides - most of which have claimed young men and teenage boys - have left parents with a sense of loss likely to last for years.

Tucson police recorded 211 gang-related aggravated assaults last year, the most in at least six years. A crime is typically considered gang-related when a suspect or victim is in a gang.

Gangs were involved in 11 homicides last year, the highest total in four years, and are ahead of that pace with four homicides this year. Gang activity is second only to drugs as a cause of Tucson homicides, according to a Tucson Police Department report released in December.

Luna's parents, Teresa and Jorge, dressed in black Friday for Cordova's sentencing, as if attending a funeral. Teresa Luna was sobbing when she entered the courtroom, continued quietly during the hearing and cried uncontrollably in the hallway afterwards.

"We feel completely destroyed," said Leonor Griffith, Tomas' grandmother. "We don't feel we're living anymore. Our boy was our life. We wanted to see him grow. Everything is gone."

Judge Barbara Sattler sentenced Cordova to 17 years in prison, leaving his mother in tears. Cordova, 19, pleaded guilty earlier to manslaughter in exchange for having gang and murder charges dropped.

"I still can't believe we're sitting here in 2006 with yet another gang homicide in Tucson," Sattler said. "The community has one of the worst gang homicide rates. This isn't just a police problem. This is a community problem."

[Pumpkin2]

Tomas Luna's fate was written on the bedroom wall of longtime enemy Manuel Cordova, who maintained a "shrine to the South Side Crips," with signs saying "Bloods Killer."

Cordova, an associate of the Crips street gang, stabbed Luna seven times, killing the 19-year-old associate of the Bloods outside Tucson Mall in April, according to Friday testimony in Superior Court.

More on the Web:

Tucson Police Department Web site

California Gang Investigator's Association

Evaluation of the Tucson Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach to Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Program

Tucson police are identifying more gang-related violent crime such as the killing of Luna. Although the increases are partially the result of better identification of gang activity, gangs are clearly a leading cause of Tucson violence, police say.

Gang violence is creating fear in neighborhoods and making some residents afraid to leave home at night. Gang-related homicides - most of which have claimed young men and teenage boys - have left parents with a sense of loss likely to last for years.

Tucson police recorded 211 gang-related aggravated assaults last year, the most in at least six years. A crime is typically considered gang-related when a suspect or victim is in a gang.

Gangs were involved in 11 homicides last year, the highest total in four years, and are ahead of that pace with four homicides this year. Gang activity is second only to drugs as a cause of Tucson homicides, according to a Tucson Police Department report released in December.

Luna's parents, Teresa and Jorge, dressed in black Friday for Cordova's sentencing, as if attending a funeral. Teresa Luna was sobbing when she entered the courtroom, continued quietly during the hearing and cried uncontrollably in the hallway afterwards.

"We feel completely destroyed," said Leonor Griffith, Tomas' grandmother. "We don't feel we're living anymore. Our boy was our life. We wanted to see him grow. Everything is gone."

Judge Barbara Sattler sentenced Cordova to 17 years in prison, leaving his mother in tears. Cordova, 19, pleaded guilty earlier to manslaughter in exchange for having gang and murder charges dropped.

"I still can't believe we're sitting here in 2006 with yet another gang homicide in Tucson," Sattler said. "The community has one of the worst gang homicide rates. This isn't just a police problem. This is a community problem."

TUCSON HAS THE WORST GANG PREVENTION PROGRAMS AROUND.THE WORST ALL ARE DRIVEN BY MONEY NOT TO SAVE LIVES.....SOUTH PARK....W/HILLS THE WORST FOR GANG MURDERS MAYBE 1 GANG MURDER SOLVED OUT OF 10 IN THE LAST 3 YRS JUST IN THAT AREA.........U WAKE UP WHEN RACIEST STOP RUNNING THE CITY OF TUCSON GOOOOOOD LUCK.