Chief Says Everett Shootings Gang Related

October 12, 2016

Everett, Police Blotter

gang related

An Everett Police officer takes a photo of a shell casing on September 9th.

gang related

Evidence tags over shell casings at the west end of the Casino Lane Apartments on September 16th

gang related

A shooting occurred in front of these apartments Monday night.

Tonight Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman confirmed to the Everett City Council Public Safety Committee that the three recent shootings on Casino Road are considered gang related.

“The shootings on September 9th, September 16th and Monday night are gang related,” said Templeman. He made those comments during a briefing on gang activity in Everett.

The good news in the briefing was that in the first ten months of this year gang activity is down 48% compared to the first ten months of 2015. Also gang related shootings are down 45%.

The bad news is there has been a recent rise in gang activity including shootings and tagging. Templeman says that’s a concern.

The age of the participants is also of concern as there are cases where 13,14 and 15 year-olds are involved in these shootings both as suspects and victims.

Two of the biggest challenges faced by Everett Police are a lack of cooperation on the part of both witnesses and victims and getting kids held in detention after violent behavior.

Templeman said the shooting investigation from September 9th is closed as the victim refused to cooperate with police. He said the other two recent shooting victims have also been reluctant to cooperate and though both shootings occurred in the open, witnesses have not come forward.

Everett gang members are somewhat transient moving in and out of the city limits. There’s also no particular way to identify a gang member on sight. Sometimes they wear distinctive clothing but many times they do not. Templeman says there are two or three active gangs that have been operating in and around Everett over the past couple of years associated with weapons and narcotics.

Templeman outlined several steps the Everett Police Department is taking to address the recent increase in gang activity.

  • Anti-Crime Team officers that were assigned to the streets initiative are being re-deployed as a gang unit as the team dedicated to street enforcement and outreach staffs up on its own.
  • The anti-crime team gang unit will be re-located out of the precinct and in with the intelligence unit to make it easier to share and act on information about gang activity in and around Everett.
  • There will now be a dedicated police presence on Casino road itself.
  • A gang detective will be summoned to any shootings believed to be gang related. Previously only major crime detectives were called out to shooting scenes involving gangs.

Templeman says there is one more important component. “Like the heroin and homelessness problems, this is a community and societal issue,” said Templeman. “Parents and mentors need to step up and be involved and take an active role in the lives of these kids.”


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