XPost: talk.politics.misc, talk.politics.guns, alt.politics.homosexuality XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh

In article <t1i7t8$3258u$134@news.freedyn.de>
<governor.swill@gmail.com> wrote:

On May 6, the Lower Valley city of Sunnyside was shaken by a
reckless gang shooting that injured mostly children in the
middle of a downtown Cinco de Mayo festival.

People were enjoying carnival rides and vendors sprawled across
an area spanning Sixth Street to Central Park when rival gangs
clashed. Several shots were fired and a 35-year-old Vancouver
man and four children — including a 6-year-old girl — were
injured.

Police immediately shut down the three-day event that had just
gotten underway.

Sunnyside Police Cmdr. Scott Bailey said the shooting was like
nothing he’d seen in his 25 years of law enforcement.

Two victims agreed to share their experience that day with a
Yakima Herald-Republic reporter.

Travis, the 35-year-old who was shot, agreed to the use of his
first name while his brother-in-law — also from Vancouver —
asked to remain anonymous because of continuing safety concerns.

Their story
Travis said his brother-in-law had his rock-climbing wall set up
near an intersection behind Safeway when gang members clashed.

A group of teens was watching someone perform an arm-hanging
challenge, he said, when another group of teens across the
intersection began yelling and flashing gang signs.

Travis, his brother-in-law and the rock wall were between the
two feuding groups.

Then one group began chasing the other and shots were fired,
Travis said.

“I heard that first shot,” he said.

Travis’ brother-in-law said they quickly tried to take cover.

“We heard the shots. We didn’t know where the bullets were
coming from,” he said. “We just tried to hide on the side of the
rock wall — take cover.”

Travis was shot in the knee.

“It just felt like someone hit me in the back of the leg with a
sledgehammer,” Travis said.

That’s when a bystander — Benancio Garcia — came to help.

Garcia said he wanted to chase those who appeared to be involved
but saw Travis on the ground bleeding.

“I thought he was shot in the chest,” said Garcia, who is one of
several candidates aiming to unseat U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse in
the race for Congressional District 4.

Garcia said Travis’ knee was badly damaged with a severed
artery. He said he was in combat in Iraq and relied on his
military training. Garcia quickly pulled off his T-shirt and
used it as a tourniquet around Travis’ leg.

“Thank God for Ben coming over and putting a tourniquet on my
leg,” Travis said. “If it weren’t for him, I probably would have
died. I probably would have bled out.”

Travis’ brother-in-law said about 20 minutes had passed before
medics assisted Travis. He said he later learned that medics
were busy with other victims, including a boy who was shot in
the face and a 6-year-old girl who was hit in the leg.

Garcia said the girl walked into Safeway and collapsed.

Travis was eventually taken to Kadlec Urgent Care in Kennewick.
Police initially said he was taken to Harborview Medical Center
in Seattle.

The boy who had been shot in the face was 12. The other victims
were two other boys, 14 and 16, who were shot in the leg.

Travis said doctors were able to repair his severed artery, but
now he’s being treated for subsequent blood clots.

“I’m still not out of the woods yet,” he said. “I don’t think
the kids who got shot are out of the woods yet either.”

Travis said it was a large-caliber bullet that hit his leg. The
entrance wound was the size of a nickel and the exit wound
chipped and cracked his femur and tore apart the back of his
knee, he said.

“There’s a lot missing there, for sure,” he said.

Investigating juveniles
Police arrested a 13-year-old boy suspected of the shooting 11
days after it occurred.

The boy, who police say is a Sureño gang member, has been
charged with five counts of first-degree assault in Yakima
County Juvenile Court.

When the shooting happened, police quickly detained five
juvenile suspects, but released them to their parents the same
day. The move upset many residents, who brought their concerns
to the City Council.

Police had no choice but to release the youth suspects, Bailey
said.

This was Sunnyside’s first major juvenile case since new state
laws governing police procedures took effect in 2020, he said.
Under new state laws, juvenile suspects are no longer allowed to
waive their rights. Interviews with them have to be recorded
with an attorney present.

“We can get their names, address, but we can’t take their
statements,” Bailey said.

As a result, investigations take more time, he said.

“We still get there; you just have to take a longer route to get
there,” Bailey said.

Violating state laws governing investigations could result in
losing a case without justice being served, he said.

“If we rush to judgment and we cut corners, in reality we are
not better than the criminals we’re trying to protect the
community from,” Bailey said. “We want to assure that what we
send to the prosecutor’s office is solid as possible.”

This investigation was by no means simple and it’s far from
over, he said.

The crime scene spanned several blocks, as at least one suspect
continued firing shots while running away, Bailey said.

“I was there — it was challenging,” he said. “You’re talking
about multiple crime scenes spread out about over six, eight
blocks.”

More people could face charges in the matter.

“If there are other people who need to be held accountable for
this, we’re working with the prosecutor’s office to assure they
are,” Bailey said. “The problem is we’re dealing with nothing
but kids.”

And that’s what bewilders Travis — they were all kids.

Something needs to be done
Travis’ brother-in-law didn’t want to talk too much about the
shooting and cut the interview short.

“I’ve got a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety from that day — I
don’t want to talk about it anymore,” he said. “It was a
terrible day for a lot of people. A lot of people do not know
what it feels like to take cover from gunshots.”

Travis doesn’t blame him.

“He’s definitely shaken up by it, that’s for sure,” Travis said.
“We were right in the line of fire. We were the backstop for
bullets.”

Travis said there’s more to it than just arresting and holding
the shooter accountable.

He wants to know who is responsible for guns landing in the
hands of youths.

“The whole situation — it just wasn’t good,” he said. “The thing
that gets my gears is the kids that got shot. I’m just glad that
nobody was killed.”

Reach Phil Ferolito at pferolito@yakimaherald.com.

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/victims- describe-cinco-de-mayo-shooting-that-injured-five-in-downtown- sunnyside/article_52d473b0-f36f-52ee-b1e1-6fb30b1a1f99.html

Kill those who misuse guns and televise it.

Kill anyone else who objects, televise that too.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)