AZ,Tucson: 20-60 rounds fired in Saturday night's killing

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » May 18th, 2006, 6:54 pm

20-60 rounds fired in Saturday night's killing
By DAVID L. TEIBEL
Tucson Citizen

A fatal gangland shooting last weekend that sounded like a combat firefight to one East Side resident still is under investigation by Tucson police who are following leads to try to learn the name of suspects.

The shooting Saturday night was in the 8200 block of East Nicaragua Drive when members of a gang crashed a party being attended by members of a rival gang, said Sgt. Decio Hopffer, a police spokesman.

So far, he said, none of the shooters have been identified.

Area residents said they heard from at least 20 to some 60 shots.

Killed in the gunfire was Wyatt Hoskinson, 19, of South Kolb Road. He died Sunday afteroon at University Medical Center.

No one else was hit "and it's unbelievable given the number of rounds that were fired," Hopffer said.

"It sounded like a firefight," said Mike Jenkins, who lives within a few doors of the shooting scene. Jenkins, a primary election candidate for Rep. Jim Kolbe's congressional seat also is a former Marine combat photographer who served a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970.

Jenkins is trying to set up a meeting with City Manager Mike Hein, Mayor Bob Walkup, Councilwoman Shirley Scott, whose fourth ward includes where the shooting took place, and police Chief Richard Miranda to discuss ways such shootings might be prevented.

"I could hear the shots from my front porch about a mile and a half away," said Renée Sowards, one of Scott's aides.

"It sounded like a gunfight, I would say we heard at least 20 shots," Sowards said.

"I think the neighborhood is very shocked and saddened and it's a relatively quiet neighborhood," Sowards said.

Hopffer would not say specifically what gangs were involved in the shooting, just that they were associated with the Crips and the Bloods, rival gangs that have spread throughout the country since being formed decades ago in California.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/12988.php