North Miami Beach- An off duty Miami police officer was shot and killed on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 while parking his unmarked vehicle near Northeast 164th Street and 18th Avenue in North Miami Beach. Detective James Walker, 30, was found in his car penetrated with bullet holes.
While in the area Walker encountered a shooting in progress. In an attempt to take action Walker took fatal shots from an AK-47assault rifle. The suspect was identified as an active member of a notorious gang in North Miami Beach. His case goes to trial in September.
Walker's murder fostered a mutual local and federal operation to fold up gang activity in the North Miami Beach area. The North Miami Beach and Miami police departments furthered with the FBI have made 36 arrests since the onset of the operation, resulting in a prodigious gang bust with charges that include but are not limited to drug dealers pillaging from one another, marijuana possession, cocaine sales and illegal weapons trafficking.
Gang violence has become prevalent in an impecunious neighborhood in Miami known as "Little Haiti". Violence is heightening in this community from drive by shootings to shootings on the private property of residents. In the past year or so there have been an estimated 40 ruthless home invasion robberies with arrests made relating to drug conspiracies deriving from a few of the home invasions.
Florida enacted the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act", in October 1990 which includes three linked definitions: "criminal street gang," "pattern of criminal gang activity," and "participation in criminal street gang." Crimes associated with any of the three patterns include assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, homicide, narcotics trafficking, arson, shooting at an inhabited building, or vehicle, and intimidation of victims or witnesses.
Anti-gang laws have become tougher in the state of Florida. With recently added provisions that aim at gang organizers making it a first degree felony punishable by life imprisonment for instructing criminal gang activity. Included are stringent witness protection laws by using the underlying criminal act as the starting touchstone for tampering and harassment penalties.
Prosecutors determine the most effective strategies for arresting and detaining each individual involved in gang related offenses. If you have been accused of being in a gang or connected with gang related activities you need an experienced Criminal Gang Attorney to defend you. Our Criminal Defense Lawyers have assisted many clients accused of being in gang related offenses in Florida. Call to speak with a Criminal Gang Attorney at Musca Law. We will then discuss the facts of the case and advise you of your best possible your options.
