Morgan Hill Police have called a community meeting in response
to a recent string of gang related crime that resulted in a
shooting death Friday night near downtown.
Morgan Hill Police have called a community meeting in response to a recent string of gang related crime that resulted in a shooting death Friday night near downtown.
The meeting will take place Thursday night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at P.A. Walsh Elementary School, at 353 West Main Ave.
Friday’s homicide was Morgan Hill’s first in four years. Juan Jose Arellano, Jr., 24, was shot and killed at the Crest Avenue apartments about 11:20 p.m. Friday. He was killed by two attackers who are believed to be members of a local street gang, police said.
The death followed two prior gang-related attacks the same evening by unknown suspects. A 16-year-old male was beaten up and hospitalized in a random attack near the bus stop at the intersection of Main and Hale avenues about 8:15 p.m.
About an hour later, Jerry Devito, 31 of Gilroy, was attacked by a group of about four Hispanic males who shouted gang slurs associated with a southern street gang, police said. The attackers stabbed Devito with a knife about 14 times in the Tennant Station parking lot, and the victim took a taxi cab to Saint Louise Regional Hospital where someone called police.
In all three incidents, the victims were either wearing red clothing or, in Devito’s case, had a visible red tattoo. Red is associated with a northern street gang, while blue is associated with a southern gang.
Police said Arellano’s killer was described by witnesses as wearing blue clothing.
This weekend, Morgan Hill Police plan to have extra officers on the streets to curb any retaliatory or provocative violent attacks involving the two rival gangs.
All interested local residents are encouraged to attend Thursday’s community meeting.
