GunCRisis Reporting July 10-Gun violence leaves three dead, two wounded overnight in Philadelphia

Gun violence leaves three dead, two wounded overnight in Philadelphia Posted: 10 Jul 2013 09:48 AM PDT Investigators examine the crime scene early Wednesday after a man was shot to death in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia. Photographs for the Gun Crisis Reporting Project by Joseph Kaczmarek. Three men were killed and two more were wounded by gunfire during incidents reported across Philadelphia overnight. According to investigators, police responded to a radio call for gunshots on the 7200 block of Ogontz Avenue in West Oak Lane around 9:46 p.m. Tuesday and found a 33-year-old man lying in the doorway of his apartment and suffering from four gunshot wounds; two in the arm and two in his chest. The man was taken to Albert Einstein Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. Investigators said that all the ballistic evidence was located in close proximity to the victim, suggesting that he was gunned down at close range as he was entering the street level door to his apartment. Two men were shot overnight on North 5th Street in the Olney. According to investigators, police responded to another radio call for gunshots around11:30 p.m. Tuesday and found the victims on the sidewalk outside Lowell Elementary School. A 24 year-old man with a single gunshot wound to the chest was rushed to Einstein Medical Center by police, but was later pronounced dead. The second victim, a man in his late teens was shot four times; twice in the arm and twice in the torso, and was in critical condition at Einstein, according to police. Two more men were shot in separate North Philadelphia incidents, and one of those victims has also died. Check in later for a more complete report on overnight incidents. Related posts: Overnight gun violence leaves two dead, three wounded across Philadelphia The five latest shooting victims bring the total number of... Mapped: Overnight gun violence outbreak leaves one dead and seven wounded across Philadelphia Shooters killed one man and wounded seven more people, two... Weekend gun violence leaves one dead and six wounded in Philadelphia A distraught friend of the victim sits and watches as...

Australia’s ABC News reports on the struggle to stem gun violence in Philadelphia Posted: 09 Jul 2013 04:16 PM PDT Washington correspondent Lisa Millar of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and video journalist Rob Hill recently came to Philadelphia, spending two nights on the street with Joseph Kaczmarek of the Gun Crisis Reporting Project to take a look at the challenge of reducing gun violence in our city. One of our strategies for impact includes supporting other journalists and news organizations who seek solutions to gun violence, and we helped this team get connected with many of the individuals working directly to reduce violence in our city. The Australian team was the latest among many local, national and international journalists to collaborate with the Gun Crisis team. We are expecting the next crew very soon. Previously: Australian news team examines gun violence and reduction efforts in Philadelphia If you want to get involved in gun violence reduction in Philadelphia, please consider volunteering your time or making a donation to one of the organizations listed under our Network tab at the top of this site. If you would like us to add your group to our list, please email us at info@guncrisis.org. The Gun Crisis Reporting Project is an award-winning, independent, nonprofit journalism community striving to illuminate the epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia — and to find solutions. But we need your help. Click to see how your tax-deductible contribution can support our volunteer staff. Related posts: Australian news team examines gun violence and reduction efforts in Philadelphia Recently, Washington correspondent Lisa Millar of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation... Inside Gun Crisis News: International news team shares our focus on Philadelphia gun violence A British team from ITN News has been working with... Many hands stem the bleeding at shooting scene Monday in Philadelphia One man compresses a chest wound while another uses his...

#GunCRisis Reporting- July 9 Shooter kills man in North Philadelphia boarding house overnight

Shooter kills man in North Philadelphia boarding house overnight Posted: 09 Jul 2013 07:47 AM PDT Neighbors watch as police investigate a fatal shooting in the early hours of Tuesday morning in North Philadelphia. Photographs for the Gun CrisisReporting Project by Joseph Kaczmarek. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small updates reporters at the scene on Sharswood Street. According to police, officers were responding to the location for a report of gunshots at around 1:30 a.m. and found a 46-year-old man in a third floor bedroom, suffering from several gunshot wounds to the face and chest. The victim was pronounced by medics on the scene. A police source said the residence, on Sharswood Street near 24th Street, appeared to be boarding house with several occupants and in terrible condition. Police were awaiting a warrant to conduct a complete search. Police believed that the victim lived at the residence and had several witnesses who were inside at the time the victim was killed, according to a report from CBS3 which added that they were taken to police headquarters for further questioning. The Philadelphia Inquirer added that no arrests have been made. Police gather at Sharswood Street shooting scene. Two more men were shot in a separate incident overnight in the Lawncrest section of the city. At the Gun Crisis Reporting Project, we have tracked 20 shooting victims reported across Philadelphia thus far in July: View Philadelphia shooting victim reports for July, 2013 in a larger map. If you want to get involved in gun violence reduction in Philadelphia, please consider volunteering your time or making a donation to one of the organizations listed under our Network tab at the top of this site. If you would like us to add your group to our list, please email us at info@guncrisis.org. The Gun Crisis Reporting Project is an award-winning, independent, nonprofit journalism community striving to illuminate the epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia — and to find solutions. But we need your help. Click to see how your tax-deductible contribution can support our volunteer staff. Related posts: Drive-by shooter kills man near prom party in North Philadelphia A 22-year-old man was shot to death on Jefferson Street... Shooter leaves man critically wounded in Philadelphia’s Hunting Park overnight Police officers came to the aid of a shooting victim... Shooter kills man outside police crime lab A 27-year-old man was fatally wounded by gunfire on a...

Two men wounded in Lawncrest overnight Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:39 AM PDT Police investigators comb the scene of a double shooting on East Howell Street in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia early Tuesday morning. Photographs for the Gun Crisis Reporting Projectby Joseph Kaczmarek. According to police, one man was shot multiple times in the chest and head and the second victim was shot in the leg. The shooting followed an attempted robbery, according to 6ABC, which added that police recovered weapon near the scene. Please share your ideas to stop the shooting in our community by using the #phillypeaceplan hash tag when communicating on social media: http://guncrisis.org/phillypeaceplan/ Related posts: Two men wounded in overnight rifle attack; bystander injured by stray bullet Two men were shot in the area of North 7th... Three men wounded in Fairhill incident Hospital staffers push a wounded man into the emergency room... Two men are dead following overnight gunfire in Philadelphia; elderly man wounded Sunday in home invasion Police investigate the scene after a man was found dead...

CeaseFirePA- What if George Zimmerman had not had a gun?

That’s the question Nina Vinik from the Joyce Foundation asked in an op-ed in the Chicago Sun Times.

“Many commentators have asked us to imagine the Zimmerman case with different facts: What if George Zimmerman was black? What if Trayvon Martin was white? What if Trayvon could tell his side of the story?

But the question we should be asking is: What if George Zimmerman didn’t have a gun?

If Zimmerman wasn’t armed, we can imagine that the encounter might have gone very differently. Or there might not have been an encounter at all. . . .

One thing seems painfully obvious: If Zimmerman didn’t have a gun, he wouldn’t have shot to death an unarmed 17-year-old, leaving behind a grieving family and a community forever scarred.

Of course, George Zimmerman did have a gun, and a boy is dead. When guns are on the scene, violence is more likely to become lethal violence. A fist fight becomes a trip to the morgue.”

This problem is ripping us apart. This cannot be allowed to become routine.

CeaseFirePA is fighting everyday here in Pennsylvania for gun violence prevention because we know we must do better.

We ask that you honor Trayvon, his family and other victims of gun violence by continuing to join us in taking a stand against gun violence.

Thanks,

Shira Goodman
Executive Director 
CeaseFirePA

Trayvon - Jasiri X

Mayors Against Illegal Guns on Trayvon Martin

Philly -- There's no way to bring back Trayvon Martin -- or the thousands of Americans who have been murdered with guns since his death. What we can do to honor Trayvon Martin is to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families. Please share the powerful words of Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton, and ask your family and friends to join you in the fight to reduce gun violence in America: Click here to share the graphic on Facebook. Not on Facebook? Forward this email or share through our website.

National Association of Drug Court Professionals Conference Guest Speaker

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals Conference

~ Monday, July 15, 2013

Thank you, Denise [Bureau of Justice Assistance Director, Denise E. O’Donnell], for that introduction.  And thank you West [NADCP’s CEO West Huddleston] and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals for having me here.

It is an honor to be among this dedicated and diverse group of professionals, policymakers, community leaders, and concerned citizens.  Thank you for the important work you do every day to promote safety for the public, as well as stability, accountability, and recovery for drug-involved offenders.
What you do is inspiring, but it is not easy.  It’s complicated and I know that sometimes it can feel like a thankless job.

But the Department of Justice has witnessed your impressive results first-hand, and is proud to be your partner and to support so many drug court programs across America.  We recognize that our partnership together is integral to the Department’s efforts to enhance public safety, but by improving outcomes for offenders, we make that enhancement of public safety lasting.  And drug courts, as well as mental health courts, DUI/DWI courts, reentry courts, Veterans courts, and tribal health to wellness courts all play a vital role in this process.

Let’s talk about why your work matters so much.  Some 2.2 million inmates are being held in our nation’s prisons and jails.  The federal prison population totals nearly 219,000 – nearly doubling since 1997.  Almost half of all federal inmates are incarcerated for drug crimes.  About 17 percent of the 1.4 million inmates in state prisons are incarcerated for drug crimes. 
But the incarceration numbers don’t even tell the full story.  After prison, we see that recidivism rates remain high.  Re-arrest rates after three years are about 67 percent for state prisoners and 40 percent for federal offenders.

Make no mistake -- these numbers are not just meaningless data points.  First of all let’s not forget that these numbers relate to actual individual people and beyond that they translate into real budgetary costs.  We estimate that federal, state, and local governments now spend nearly $83 billion each year on corrections.  
While incarceration is a necessary part of the strategy for ensuring public safety, we know it is not the only answer in every case -- especially for the low-level drug offender.  If any of us hope to change the behavior of our criminal population – and make our communities safer – we must make the investment to treat
individuals with substance use disorders and others in need of help as a part of the criminal justice system. 

And I call it an investment for a reason.  We must recognize substance use disorders as a disease, and that a holistic solution provides a better outcome overall for the defendant, the criminal justice system, and society.  If the treatment is done right, it can return both economic and societal benefits well beyond the actual cost of providing it.

The truth is that drug courts may not be suitable for everyone who has committed a drug crime.  But for those cases where it is a good fit, they can make the difference between a continuing cycle of crime and a changed, drug-free life.   Research funded by our National Institute of Justice shows that local drug courts do reduce drug use and criminal offending.  In particular, programs that target individuals who are drug-dependent and at high risk for recidivism have been proven to be especially effective and yield the greatest return on investment.

The challenge, of course, is making the most of these successful models by grounding them in the evidence and understanding that drug courts work best if they follow research-based principles.

A drug court is most effective when it has a clear and focused screening process and relies on a validated risk assessment instrument.  A drug court has better chances for success when it uses a system of graduated and immediate sanctions and incentives, when the process is understandable and meaningful to participants, and when the process is delivered in a way that can be perceived as fair and equitable.  And it works best when those running the program establish a continuum of care that supports relapse prevention, community integration, and aftercare services.  These are critical strategies, founded on science, that can help maximize the drug court approach, and need to be built into our programs.

Our ongoing challenge at the Department of Justice is to expand these programs on a larger scale while maintaining the evidence basis of their usefulness and success.  Last year, our Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded 60 adult drug court grants totaling $18 million, and we recently awarded funding to support 10 new mentor adult court programs.  We have an additional $41 million available for adult drug court programs this year.

#GunCRisis Reporting- July 8; Incident marks the 8th victim this weekend

• Detective opens fire on carjacking suspects in East Germantown
• Shooting wounds 18-year-old in East Germantown; incident marks 8th victim
•  this weekend in Philadelphia
• #GunCrisis: Philadelphia Week in Review

Detective opens fire on carjacking suspects in East Germantown Posted: 08 Jul 2013 09:32 AM PDT Police investigate after a detective opened fire on a group of suspected carjackers early Monday morning in the East Germantown section of Philadelphia. Photograph for  the Gun Crisis Reporting Project byJoseph Kaczmarek. Investigators examine the victim’s SUV at the crime scene on Rubicam Street near East Collom Street in East Germantown early Monday morning, after a police detective shot at men suspected in connection with a carjacking in North Philadelphia earlier in the evening. The victim’s shoe remains on the Rubicam Street crime scene. Photograph for the Gun Crisis Reporting Project by Joseph Kaczmarek. According to police, an armed group of men jumped into the victim’s red SUV near  Broad Street and Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia and forced the victim to drive to an apartment complex at Rubicam Street and East Collom Street. Police said the gunmen had the man on the ground at gunpoint when a detective from Northwest Detectives Division witnessed the men pointing a gun at the man. According to investigators the detective fired nine times when the men pointed their weapons as they fled to and drove off in the SUV they had stolen. Police located the red SUV two blocks away unoccupied. Police were treating two men as suspects after they turned up with gunshot wounds in separate suburban hospitals, Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland and Abington  memorial Hospital. According to an NBC10 report, the suspects assaulted the driver throughout the 2.5-mile trip. CBS3 is reporting that police have two wounded suspects in custody and are searching for two more men. The detective involved in the incident was en route to another shooting scene, at East Ashmead Street and Magnolia Street at the time. Gun Crisis Reporting Project co-founder Joseph Kaczmarek was at the first  shooting scene with police officers when they heard the detective’s gunfire and scrambled for cover. Swat and K-9 officers gather at the Rubicam Street crime scene. Photograph for the Gun Crisis Reporting Project by Tom Kelly IV. Please share your ideas to stop the shooting in our community by using the #phillypeaceplan hash tag when communicating on  social media: http://guncrisis.org/phillypeaceplan/ The Gun Crisis Reporting Project is an award-winning, independent,  nonprofit journalism community striving to illuminate the epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia — and to find solutions. But we need your help. Click to see how your tax-deductible contribution can support our volunteer staff. Related posts: Shooting wounds 18-year-old in East Germantown; incident marks 8th victim this weekend in Philadelphia Police hold the crime scene after an 18-year-old man was... Shooter opens fire on two men in a car Wednesday night, not far from an afternoon murder scene Shattered glass, bullet holes and blood stains mark the victims’... East Germantown victim shot multiple times Wednesday night Ballistic evidence and blood stains are marked by investigators on...

Shooting wounds 18-year-old in East Germantown; incident marks 8th victim this weekend in Philadelphia Posted: 08 Jul 2013 06:05 AM PDT Police hold the crime scene after an 18-year-old man was shot in East Germantown just after midnight Monday morning. Photographs for the Gun Crisis Reporting Project by Joseph Kaczmarek. The victim was reported in stable condition at Einstein Medical Center with a leg wound following the incident on Magnolia Street. Seven people were wounded in earlier incidents this weekend: Three teens were wounded in a shooting incident shortly before midnight Friday in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia. Police said they rushed two boys, ages 15 and 16, to  Temple University Hospital, where they were both reported in stable condition after they were shot in a gas station parking lot at Germantown Avenue and Hunting Park Avenue.  A third victim — another 15-year-old boy — arrived at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in a private vehicle with graze wounds to both legs. Medics rushed a 28-year-old man to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after  he was shot in the leg at about 10 p.m. Sunday on Westminster Avenue near 49th Street  in the Mill Creek section of West Philadelphia. A 22-year-old man was reported in critical condition at Temple University Hospital after he was shot Saturday night on North Carlisle Street, near 67th Avenue and 15th Street in West Oak Lane. Two men were reported in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after the were shot Saturday afternoon on North 59th Street near Market Street in West Philadelphia. Altogether, two people have been killed and 15 have been wounded, two critically, in shooting incidents reported across Philadelphia during the first week of July.