Tragedy In Manatee County
SLIDESHOW Death of a Child
MANATEE --With three suspects and a vehicle in custody, authorities Tuesday continued to piece together the missing links in the fatal shooting of 9-year-old Stacy Williams III on Monday night.
Three teenagers - Orlando Valenzuela, Johnny Vasquez and Ashley Rios - were arrested on murder charges less than five hours after the shooting, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Valenzuela and Vasquez, both 15, and 16-year-old Rios are all said to be members of the criminal street gang SUR-13, Sheriff Brad Steube said Tuesday.
Stacy, who lived with his mother, Barbara Siler, in the crime-ridden Manatee Woods apartment complex, was hit by a stray bullet at 8:15 p.m. in the 3200 block of Fifth Street East, just east of his home and a short distance from his grandmother's home.
Steube called the incident "very tragic" and said the death was the first of its type that he can remember in his almost 30 years as a law officer in Manatee County.
"It's the first one that comes to mind for me, and one of my biggest fears," said Steube, who spoke with Stacy's family after the shooting Monday night. "And as a law enforcement officer, you don't want any kids to get hurt being involved in anything."
Stacy was either riding or standing alongside his bicycle when he was shot during a fight that erupted between Valenzuela, Vasquez and Rios - who were inside a white Chrysler Sebring - and rivals riding in a black Cadillac.
At the scene of the shooting, a crushed Mountain Dew can lay spattered with drops of dried blood, littering the area next to where witnesses say Stacy fell off his new bike after being hit.
A larger patch of blood marked the sandy spot.
Valenzuela, a Gulf Coast Marine Institute student, and his girlfriend, Rios, a Palmetto High School student, were taken into custody at his residence and taken to the sheriff's office for questioning before being arrested. The Sebring also was seized for evidence.
Vasquez, a student at Horizons Middle School, was turned in by his sister shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators said they believe he was driving the Sebring.
On Tuesday afternoon, authorities located the Cadillac and two people authorities say were in it at the time of the shooting. It was unknown what charges they would face, if any, or if any other passengers were involved. Steube said officials were unsure whether the argument between the occupants of the two vehicles was gang-related. Detectives also are investigating whether Stacy was involved with a fight between several teenagers and other children in the apartment complex before he was shot, Steube said.
Witnesses told detectives they saw Valenzuela shoot several rounds into the air from the Sebring during the fight, spurring those involved to run.
Within minutes, the fight started between the occupants in the Sebring and Cadillac. Investigators think Valenzuela fired at least 15 rounds, in the 3200 block of Fifth Street East, aiming for the Cadillac.
At least one of those bullets struck Stacy.
Authorities say Stacy ran toward a family member's home after he was shot and was picked up by his father, Stacy Williams II, and another relative and driven to Manatee Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
But Stacy's grandmother, Willie Ruth McNair, told a slightly different story.
McNair said William, who must have seen the boy falling, ran to pick him up, and took the boy up to the house, as blood dripped on the driveway.
"He coughed and blood came out of his mouth," she said.
Witnesses initially told investigators that occupants of both vehicles exchanged gunfire, but evidence collected after the shooting points at Valenzuela as the lone gunman.
Tia Jenkins, 30, who has lived next to Stacy and his mother for about five years, said Tuesday that she saw the Sebring pull into the complex after the shooting.
Jenkins said the white convertible pulled into the parking lot in front of her apartment and that a man got out and went into a neighboring apartment.
"They had just moved here two weeks ago," Jenkins said.
Valenzuela is facing a charge of homicide, while Rios and Vasquez each face a charge of principal to homicide.
Authorities would not say whether the gun used in the shooting had been recovered, but did say they believe the weapon was a .32-caliber firearm. Steube said officials had executed search warrants for a home and a vehicle and planned to conduct more searches.
The suspects
Orlando Valenzuela's mother slept Tuesday afternoon, having stayed up late with law enforcement officials after her son was arrested. His brother, Alberto, answered the door to their Bradenton home, in the 1100 block of 16th Street West, but declined to comment.
There was no answer at either Vasquez's or Rios' home.
Vasquez lives with his older sister and her live-in boyfriend in a duplex in the 3300 block of Fourth Street East, only a block from the shooting.
Rios' neighbors in the 600 block of Leona Avenue in Palmetto said their quiet neighborhood changed since her family moved into a rental house on Leona Street. The parents argued often, they said, and law enforcement authorities had visited the house several times.
Looking forward
Steube said the incident is one of the most difficult to deal with as a law enforcement officer, but it's something the agency has been discussing for the past couple years as gang activity has escalated in Manatee County.
"It's not something you ever want to anticipate, having to deal with, an incident like this," Steube said.
The sheriff stressed how important it is that the witnesses who came forth after the shooting continue to help law enforcement throughout the investigation, including when it hits the court system.
"They need to stay strong and support law enforcement and the community," he said.
In many incidents that involve gang members, witnesses are reluctant to testify about the crime when it hits the court system, or "disappear," which tends to weaken the state's case and at times, force charges to be dropped.
When cases are dropped, criminals return to the community, where they resume criminal activities, Steube said.
A recent racketeering case brought against nine members of the criminal street gang Brown Pride Locos, is one way authorities are trying to curb gang violence in the community.
Since the nine gang members were arrested, Steube said the number of drive-by shootings, which are often tied to gang activity, have decreased dramatically.
Steube said similar racketeering cases may be launched against members of two additional gangs.
- Herald staff writers Sylvia Lim and Melanie Marquez contributed to this report.
posted by Cruz @ 10:14 PM
0 Comments
