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Police: Shooting gang related
By Blake Spurney Editor
Clayton police are searching for a 20-year-old man who was involved in a shooting Saturday morning that Lt. Troy Taylor said was gang related.
About 12:50 a.m., Marin Garcia Lorenzo, also known as "Lyncho," fired a shot at Artemi Morales as he was running through the parking lot in front of the I building at Stave Mill Apartments, according to police records. The bullet missed Morales but went through an empty unit and through the bedroom where two young children were sleeping,
"The bullet traveled over both of the kids who were in bed asleep," Taylor said. It missed the children's beds by no more than five feet.
Besides the children, ages 5 and 8, their parents and grandmother also were asleep when the .40-caliber bullet went through the walls of the apartment. Taylor said the bullet went through four walls of I-2 before it entered the bedroom of I-3 and bounced off the wall in the bathroom.
"What this boils down to was this was a gang-related shooting," Taylor said. "We've got MS-13 down at Stave Mill."
Two men, Jose Luis Reyes Chavez, 25, and Reyes Marin Lorenzo, 23, were charged with reckless conduct for being with Marin Garcia Lorenzo when he fired the shot, Taylor said. The two remained in custody Tuesday night. All three men are cousins who were living at Stave Mill.
Taylor said the men were identified as members of MS-13, believed to be the largest street gang in the United States, by their tattoos. "They're well-done tattoos," he said. "You can distinctly tell them."
The main suspect, Marin Garcia Lorenzo, fled shortly after the shooting. "The last we heard was he was hiding in Hiawassee and was fixing to be on his way to Kansas," Taylor said.
Marin Garcia Lorenzo apparently has some family in Kansas, and Taylor said police believed he was traveling with his wife. Police talked to her in the aftermath of the shooting, but she refused to cooperate, he added. She has since disappeared.
Marin Garcia Lorenzo has been charged with six counts of aggravated assault, two counts of cruelty to a child and reckless conduct.
The suspects and had been drinking with some other people when a fight broke out in the lot in front of the A and B buildings. Taylor said at least eight people were there when the fight started. During the altercation, someone broke a window out of a van with a baseball bat. A short time later, a gunshot was fired.
"We never could get anybody to come outside and claim the van, and they won't tell us who broke the window out," he said.
Taylor also said the two children in I-3 were lucky to escape injury. They "had nothing to do with this, and the next thing you know there's a bullet bouncing around in there."
The bullet was recovered, but the gun has not been. Police believe it was dismantled and thrown away.
According to Taylor, the local head of MS-13 is a woman who lives at Stave Mill, and Marin Garcia Lorenzo ranks just below her. He said the woman takes her orders from inmates in a Texas prison.
Taylor said serious gang members encountered by law enforcement typically are in Rabun County hiding out because of something they've done in Hall County. According to him, MS-13 has been in Rabun about two years. Some members even are at Rabun County High School, he said. He planned on calling the Gang Task Force in Gainesville to ask for help.
Joe Amerling, with the task force, said he viewed some pictures of suspects who appeared to be gang members during a seminar he conducted for some Rabun County officers several months ago. He also said he hadn't had enough communication with local departments to provide expert analysis.
Rabun County Schools Superintendent Matt Arthur said administrators hadn't seen overt signs such as graffiti or youth wearing colors at school.
"We're not blind, but I think we probably have some 'wannabes,' and we do deal with those," Arthur said.
About 12:50 a.m., Marin Garcia Lorenzo, also known as "Lyncho," fired a shot at Artemi Morales as he was running through the parking lot in front of the I building at Stave Mill Apartments, according to police records. The bullet missed Morales but went through an empty unit and through the bedroom where two young children were sleeping,
"The bullet traveled over both of the kids who were in bed asleep," Taylor said. It missed the children's beds by no more than five feet.
Besides the children, ages 5 and 8, their parents and grandmother also were asleep when the .40-caliber bullet went through the walls of the apartment. Taylor said the bullet went through four walls of I-2 before it entered the bedroom of I-3 and bounced off the wall in the bathroom.
"What this boils down to was this was a gang-related shooting," Taylor said. "We've got MS-13 down at Stave Mill."
Two men, Jose Luis Reyes Chavez, 25, and Reyes Marin Lorenzo, 23, were charged with reckless conduct for being with Marin Garcia Lorenzo when he fired the shot, Taylor said. The two remained in custody Tuesday night. All three men are cousins who were living at Stave Mill.
Taylor said the men were identified as members of MS-13, believed to be the largest street gang in the United States, by their tattoos. "They're well-done tattoos," he said. "You can distinctly tell them."
The main suspect, Marin Garcia Lorenzo, fled shortly after the shooting. "The last we heard was he was hiding in Hiawassee and was fixing to be on his way to Kansas," Taylor said.
Marin Garcia Lorenzo apparently has some family in Kansas, and Taylor said police believed he was traveling with his wife. Police talked to her in the aftermath of the shooting, but she refused to cooperate, he added. She has since disappeared.
Marin Garcia Lorenzo has been charged with six counts of aggravated assault, two counts of cruelty to a child and reckless conduct.
The suspects and had been drinking with some other people when a fight broke out in the lot in front of the A and B buildings. Taylor said at least eight people were there when the fight started. During the altercation, someone broke a window out of a van with a baseball bat. A short time later, a gunshot was fired.
"We never could get anybody to come outside and claim the van, and they won't tell us who broke the window out," he said.
Taylor also said the two children in I-3 were lucky to escape injury. They "had nothing to do with this, and the next thing you know there's a bullet bouncing around in there."
The bullet was recovered, but the gun has not been. Police believe it was dismantled and thrown away.
According to Taylor, the local head of MS-13 is a woman who lives at Stave Mill, and Marin Garcia Lorenzo ranks just below her. He said the woman takes her orders from inmates in a Texas prison.
Taylor said serious gang members encountered by law enforcement typically are in Rabun County hiding out because of something they've done in Hall County. According to him, MS-13 has been in Rabun about two years. Some members even are at Rabun County High School, he said. He planned on calling the Gang Task Force in Gainesville to ask for help.
Joe Amerling, with the task force, said he viewed some pictures of suspects who appeared to be gang members during a seminar he conducted for some Rabun County officers several months ago. He also said he hadn't had enough communication with local departments to provide expert analysis.
Rabun County Schools Superintendent Matt Arthur said administrators hadn't seen overt signs such as graffiti or youth wearing colors at school.
"We're not blind, but I think we probably have some 'wannabes,' and we do deal with those," Arthur said.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of theclaytontribune.com.
DDS wrote on Oct 12, 2008 9:30 PM:
" C.R., We can begin dealing with the problem by educating ourselves. Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) is a gang that originated in Los Angeles and became stronger in El Salvador, not Mexico. They are internationally strong 100,000+ members and have become stronger due to the deportation and recruiting to youngsters in local (American) schools. Therefore, locals getting geared up won't intimidate them. Stereotyped you have, assumed plenty you also have. Does fearful to cooperate make sense as opposed to wanting or not wanting? Immigrants, it's those immigrants. I don't recall the story saying immigrants, or Mexico anywhere in it. "
C.R. wrote on Oct 4, 2008 2:02 PM: