Redlands police deploys dozens of officers to find gunman responsible for fatal shootings [Updated]

Redlands police have redeployed two-thirds of their 74-officer staff in the wake of a shooting Wednesday night in which a suspected Latino gang member fatally shot two black youths and wounded two others, an incident that the mother of one victim believes was racially motivated.

The department has about 50 officers working the streets in the case, said Carl Baker, a Police Department spokesman.

"We don’t have a lot of homicides in Redlands," Baker said. "When we do have something like this, we devote all the resources we have available pretty quickly."

At the time of the shooting, Baker said five youths were in the playground area between two apartment buildings at Oxford Drive and Post Street. At least one youth walked up and began shooting, killing Quinn McCaleb, 17, and Andrew Jackson, 16, both of whom were black, and wounding two other youths. A fifth person was unharmed.

The department has issued a drawing of the gunman, who is believed to be a Latino gang member. But no arrests have been made, Baker said.

He said detectives are investigating whether more may have been involved in the shooting. Baker said investigators did not believe the shooting was racially motivated, but may instead have grown from personal disputes in which the parties happened to be of different races.

"There’s a sense of racial tension," Baker said. "But we’re not looking at this as a racially motivated crime necessarily."

Shanita Williams, the mother of Quinn McCaleb, who died in Wednesday’s attack, disputed this.

As Redlands' population has grown over the last five years, Williams said, a local Latino gang has increasingly harassed and attacked black youths. She said her son was harassed, beaten twice and often chased home from school. In addition, racist graffiti has occasionally appeared on neighborhood walls, she said.

"In my view, it’s racially motivated. I’m going to be as blunt as possible," Williams said. "Multiple families have this issue. This is not an isolated incident."

A week before Thanksgiving, Williams said, a group of Latino gang members armed with bats and guns was going around the neighborhood knocking on doors where it thought McCaleb might be. Words spread through the neighborhood, and residents called Williams and the police. A helicopter appeared overhead and the group disbanded, she said.

Williams said many in Redlands’ black community have moved out from Los Angeles to escape gangs. Some are gang members themselves. However, she said, most of the young kids like her son have been banding together to protect themselves as they have become targets of Latino gang members.

"I know black gangs. I grew up in Los Angeles," she said. "This is really just a clique, not a drive-by, shoot-em-up gang."

[Updated at 3:30 p.m.: Redlands police and clergy plan a march to "Heal the Land; Heal the City" at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The march will be begin at Sun Avenue and Post Street, near where the shooting occurred, and end at Micah House, an after-school ministry for neighborhood youths, a few blocks away on Oxford Drive.]

-- Sam Quinones

Comments

[Zonker]

The victim's mother believes it's racially motivated, and PD spokesman Carl Baker states, “There’s a sense of racial tension,” then continues, “. . . we’re not looking at this as a racially motivated crime . . . ” What doublespeak. If it's a racially-motivated slaying, get it out on the table!

[Duped Tax Payer]

Expect more to come because our new governor is going to invite more gangs from down south to move into Kalifornia.

[Devisl Advocate]

I grew up and reside in LA. Gang member perceive cliques as potential threats because given the circumstances cliques will behave live gangs.
If one member of a clique is assaulted, usually the entire cliques will retaliate.

[Travis Smith]

"I know black gangs. I grew up in Los Angeles," she said. "This is really just a clique, not a drive-by, shoot-em-up gang."

Brought your problems form south central to redlands.... thanks for that

[Travis Smith]

Orange County is seeing a rise in Robbery form people from south central, is there a message here?

[momspirit]

It amazes me how Latinos moved into predominantly black neighborhoods and didn't have any of these problems. Their kids could
go to stores, parks and schools without being harassed when they were
the minority. Now they are the majority and are targeting blacks who welcomed them into their neighborhoods.

[Travis Smith]

3 Black Males attack and rob a white student at UCR, no press, was this Race motivated? please deploy dozens of police officers to investigate

[AmericanBornSouthofTheBorder]

Personally I think Hate Laws are stupid because if someone hates you enough to kill you, it is murder. It doesn't matter why he killed you, he hated you for one thing or another.

Gangs by nature hate anyone that is not a part of them. Hopefully they find the people that did this and lock them up for life.

[C L]

Playing the race card again.

[Tired Citizen]

and these problems keep moving farther east. where can a law abiding, tax paying white man live these days?

[ISIAH]

GET RID OF ALL THE ILLEGEL IMMIEGENTS.

[Tony ( aka Brains)]

There was a 'band' of youths going 'door to door' and ALL the cops did was send a helicopter and it 'disbanded' with NO arrests for running around with bats and GUNS ? What is WRONG with Redlands PD ?? Someone is 'asleep' at the wheel and it seems to be the ' chief' as it took TWO murders to finally DO SOMETHING !

[hmmm]

Well another craptastic gift from ghetto life brought to redlands. U can bet the latimes won't explore the boiling point tension of blaxicans. LA is no longer USA. It's now a banana republic. Get ready for Revolucion!!! if city hall does not grovel to the powerful whims of La Familia

[terry jackson]

Until we begin treating these punks that belong to gangs as the killers or potential killers that they are, it is only going to get worse.

[Scamp1946]

@duped tax payer. What the heck are u talking about? This is a tragedy in our community and u r trying to politicize it. I don't know where u r from but I am sure ur community has had it's share of tragedies of youth. Leave ur right wing diatribe in your pocket and let us grieve, catch the perpetrator, heal and get to work in solving our social problems. May you never know the pain this incident has caused.
A neighborhood retired teacher.

[Demiseofman]

Of course this is a racial issue. The police and local government do not want to start race riots and polarization it will cause. It produces more harm that good. They will never admit it to the press because they would just fan the flames.

[Lance]

Have a little respect for the mother who just lost a son. How would you feel if it was your son/daughter? These are just kids bringing property values down because the cops can't clean up the streets. Race don't matter when someone is killed, death is color blind. Get these punks off the street now you Cops what else do you get paid to do?

[Leah]

I love how everyone has something to say about the article yet no one is grieving for the lost lives of the youth. Rest in Peace boys and my thoughts go out to the families effected.

[Jack]

Not racially motivated just gangs doing what they do

[Irvine Greenberg]

When teens and gangs have these types of disputes it's aways about territory or girls. Young Latino males don't like the idea that latino girls often will date black males. From my experence young black males nation-wide care less if a latino male dates a black female. It's more about competition than a racist act. Young and immature...get a grip.

[R.I.P.]

Redlands police are blind sided by this tragedy. They are afraid that the KKK living nearby may want to join the Latino gang members. Wait, gangs live everywhere so Redlands is known to be a stuck up fancy city so bringing a different color to their city will cause trouble but it did. The Redlands police do not want to quote that this is gang related because the stuck residents will move out of their city and the police will not get their monthly bonus commission. My sympathy goes out to this family and any family who has a loved one in a gang or been hurt by a gang member. Gangs are only a cover up for their sad hearts. No one loves them except their gang members. Gangs rely on each other. I am a parent of a son who has a gang friend. This is hard for all parties except the police.

[JW in Redlands]

The two young men, whose lives were despicably cut short, were good kids. Losing them in a manner like this is a tragic stain on the entire community.

I hope that the low-life(s) who perpetrated this horrific act are brought to justice.

[taxpayer]

This has been going on for years in Southern California, and is getting worse. There is a brown on black street war that is being ignored by police, like it will go away if we ignore it. But with entertainment industry promoting this crap with music and entertainment and the public schools teaching black and la raza studies it will only get worse.

[Huanusco]

How come when a latino kills a black person it is considered "rayzizzm" and it makes the front page.But the other way around,they wouldn't even mention the race of the suspect,and it is just considered gang vs. gang business.

[Latino's]

this is a racially motivated attack...that has been ongoing for the past 9 months..it's been going both ways for a very long period of time..i do not insist on choosing sides but this was not started by latinos..and i do have to say the young black youth has caused this distress upon themselves..and the only way these racially motivated attacks will stop is..when certain people will come to their senses and learn how not to disrespect people...and not to judge one another just because "they" choose how to live our lives or just because "they" supposably live in poverty and were no good to the streets..you stay at your distance and more then positive gang members of redlands will stay at their own and mind their own...that includes racial speeches at schools and downtown activites..