SPRINGDALE -- Police arrested two teen boys they say shot at a home in the 100 block of Pierce Avenue late Friday night and early Saturday morning, according to a news release Saturday.
The shooting may be connected to an early morning shooting Friday that left an 18-year-old man dead and two other young people injured at 32 Applegate Drive in Springdale, said Derek Hudson, police spokesman.
Recognizing Gangs
Gang indicators can be subtle and depends on the specific gang activity in a specific given school or community. Some gang identifiers may include:
• Graffiti: Unusual signs, symbols or writing on walls, notebooks, etc.
• Wearing colors: Obvious or subtle colors of clothing, a particular clothing brand, jewelry or haircuts
• Tattoos: Symbols on arms, chest or elsewhere on the body
• Gang literature: Gang signs, symbols, poems, prayers, procedures, etc. in notebooks or other documents
• Initiations: Suspicious bruises, wounds or injuries resulting from a “jumping in” type initiation where violence is used to prove loyalty to the gang
• Hand-signs: Unusual hand signals or handshakes
• Behavior: Sudden changes in behavior or secret meetings
One or several of these identifiers may indicate gang affiliation. Identifiers help recognize gang affiliation but a focus on behavior is especially important.
Source: National School Safety And Security Services
Got a tip?
Anyone with information on criminal activity should call the Springdale Police Department at 751-4542 or leave tips anonymously at 750-4484.
Source: Springdale Police Department
Police are looking into possible gang activity related to the shooting, Hudson said Friday. The Pierce Avenue home is about five blocks away from the apartments on Applegate Drive.
Police investigated gunshots heard at 10:23 p.m. Friday and found bullet holes in the front door of a home on Pierce Avenue. No one was injured, and the shooters had left the area, according to the news release.
At 1:46 a.m. Saturday, police were called back concerning more gunshots.
Police found a vehicle similar to what witnesses described. Witnesses hold police they "saw the suspects firing several rounds from the vehicle," according to the news release.
Police found the car a few blocks north of the home, but the car sped away, according to the news release. Police chased the car through several neighborhoods until the car crashed into a fence at Pierce Avenue and Maple Drive.
People in the car fled on foot, but police caught and arrested a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, Hudson said.
Police also found evidence at the crash linking the teens to the shootings at Pierce Avenue, according to the release. Police didn't release the teens' names Saturday. The two likely will face felony charges, according to the news release.
Police also haven't released the names of the 17-year-old boy police said shot the three people Friday and haven't released the name of a 14-year-old boy who was shot Friday.
The fatal shooting at Applegate Drive was under investigation Friday, Hudson said. The gunshots overnight at Pierce Avenue is also under investigation, he said.
Police were investigating a possible link to gang activity and the fatal shooting Friday, Hudson said.
The Springdale Police Department released Saturday afternoon a statement by Chief Kathy O'Kelley advising people about gang activity, said what police are doing about it and gave tips on identifying gang members.
Police also are talking with other agencies about the Friday shooting death and about "the potential for further violence as a result of the recent events," O'Kelley said in her statement.
Police track known members and educate parents about gang behavior, according to the statement. The Police Department also previously used a Crime Suppression Team to stop gang activity and plan to restructure the team.
"Unfortunately, over the past several years, we have seen youth members arming themselves more frequently and being used by adult members to commit crime, as the youth members are treated far differently than adult members during the judicial process when arrested," O'Kelley said.
The suspect in the fatal Friday shooting may be charged as an adult, Hudson said Friday. Prosecutor Matt Durrett said he thought the 17-year-old boy remained in jail with a $250,000 bond Saturday. He was unsure about the newly arrested teen boys.
"I'm guessing (the shootings are) connected but don't know that for sure," Durrett said. "The decision to go adult will depend on the charges and their juvenile histories."
NW News on 03/15/2015