What can be done about Granger gangs?

GRANGER -- Francis Guzman's grandchildren aren't allowed to play in her fenced-in front yard for fear of being struck by a stray bullet.

Guzman has lived on Guzman Avenue -- named after her late father-in-law -- for 47 years.

But today, the poorly lit, dirt-surfaced road tucked deep off the main drag of this tiny Lower Valley town is a much different place.

Shootings here this year have already led to the deaths of two gang members as police work to put a lid on the neighborhood's gang problem.

At least half of the nearly dozen small bungalows here are marked with gang activity. A June shooting near a park in the middle of town is believed to have been tied to gang members living here, police said.

The recent spike in gang activity reflects the history of this town of roughly 2,955 residents. A decade ago, gangs ran rampant here and were responsible for two homicides.

A police crackdown appeared to work for a while, as a 2004 crime index commissioned by the FBI called Granger the safest city in Yakima County.

But things are heating up again.

"It's pretty scary," said neighbor Ted Escobar, who lives around the corner from Guzman. "Basically, you find yourself wanting to stay out of the way and hoping that a stray bullet doesn't come your way."

Guzman, who asked not to be photographed for fear of retaliation, worries that her grandchildren and other kids in the area may fall victim to a stray bullet.

"What if an innocent child gets killed?" she asked while standing at the front door of her small home. "That makes it pretty hard. It was such a quiet neighborhood and all of a sudden two killings. ... That's way too much. But what can we do?"

This neighborhood is no stranger to police, who answered about 20 calls here in 2007 and have already logged another 15 calls so far this year, mostly dealing with fights, drugs and arrest warrants. Crimes from other cities have also been linked to people living in the area, said acting police Chief Shane Mortensen.

"Of course, the gang-related crimes are definitely there," he said.

The most recent incident occurred Tuesday night, when an 18-year-old man from Yakima looking to buy marijuana was shot and killed, said Chief of Detectives Stew Graham of the Yakima County Sheriff's Office.

Enrique Alcala hopped out of his cousin's car somewhere in the 900 block of Guzman Avenue about 11:30 p.m. when a dark, midsized GM sedan with an unknown number of people inside pulled alongside him, Graham said. Words were exchanged and Alcala was shot in the chest by one of the passengers.

His cousin took him to Toppenish Community Hospital, where he later died, Graham said.

Alcala is a known gang member from Yakima, but it's not clear if the shooting was gang-related, Graham added.

Deputies combed the area Wednesday with little success of pinpointing the actual location of the shooting or getting leads as to who fired the fatal shot, Graham said.

"We didn't really develop much more" than what we have, he said.

On March 23, another shooting on the street that authorities called gang-related claimed the life of 24-year-old Paul Erik Lopez, who was shot in the upper abdomen after a fight broke out. A suspect in that case was released after telling police he fired in self-defense.

One month later, police again responded to a shooting at the same address. Although there were no injuries, police made two arrests. One of the two men arrested made bail, and both are awaiting prosecution.

In June, police responded to a shooting next to City Central Park in the middle of town that they said was between gang rivals -- and was tied to Guzman Avenue.

Although no one was hurt, police said bullets traveled as far as three blocks away and passed through an apartment complex where children were playing. Two men were arrested.

"We really need to target that area and clean it up," Mortensen said.

A major problem in investigating such crimes is that witnesses are reluctant to call police or provide information, said Mortensen, who has only been with the force since November.

"People are reluctant to make phone calls in this entire town," he said.

In July, the City Council even approved an ordinance that enhances sentences for gang-related crimes.

Guzman Avenue lacks adequate lighting, and neighbors need to start standing together against crime, he said.

He hopes to convince those neighbors to form a neighborhood block watch.

"I really want to get street lights up in that area," he said. "I'm open to suggestions. If people have ideas about how to clean up that area, I'm open to them."

Escobar said he's not sure that a block watch would solve the problems, which he said are isolated to a few homes.

"With block watch, you have to be suspicious of everyone coming through, and we're not," he said, noting that there are a lot of kids from neighboring streets that cut through the area.

What really bothers him is the use of guns by gang members.

"I don't know if they care about dying or not, but they sure don't hesitate to escalate to bullets."

Guzman said the problems have her longtime neighbors talking about moving.

"I don't go out at night," she said. "I stay inside."

* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.

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