Chicago Honors student was killed as result of mistaken identity

[LumbergTech]

Sickening all the lives wasted here. These young men's parents should probably be put in jail with them for allowing them to lead a life that came to this.

"Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, McCarthy told reporters.

Ward confessed to shooting Hadiya and two others in late January in a case of mistaken identity, McCarthy said.

Police said Ward and Williams were gang members seeking revenge against the people who had shot Williams in July."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/11/justice/illinois-chicago-killing/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

[Doppel]

I highly doubt they both lived in a two parent household, so not really any parentS to hold responsible.

 

[TallBill]

Annnnnnnnd they want more gun laws..... idiots.

 

[Zebo]

Sounds like she tried to defend herself at one time - she's on probation for weapons violations herself last year. Then they stripped her obviously and rather through fear that further infractions would lead to jail time or just couldnt afford another gun she couldnt defend herself. Good job Chicago another murder is on your hands IMO.

 

[AHamick]

Sounds like she tried to defend herself at one time - she's on probation for weapons violations herself last year. Then they stripped her obviously and rather through fear that further infractions would lead to jail time or just couldnt afford another gun she couldnt defend herself. Good job Chicago another murder is on your hands IMO.

Huh??? Someone needs to re-read the article.

Ward is the one who had a prior gun conviction and was on probation for said crime, Hadiya was 15 and couldn't own or even carry a gun anywhere in this country legally. Unless you read a different article stating Hadiya was arrested for having a gun I'm not following what you are saying

Whats more ridiculous is Ward should have been put in jail rather than on probation because Illinois already has a law on the books that requires gang members to serve a minimum sentence, commonly called the Valadez Law.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/7771279-418/the-valadez-law.html

The current laws aren't being enforced, and unless there is no history of Ward being a gang member (doubtful) why wasn't he put in prison for a minimum of 3 years? The Cook County courts just slap these violent criminals on the wrist and hope they don't do it again and then release them back into society t victimize more innocent people...

 

[Mursilis]

I highly doubt they both lived in a two parent household.

You're probably right, and therein lies the root of the problem. Or at least one of the main roots.

 

[PokerGuy]

I'm sure some new gun control measures would fix things like this.

 

[sm625]

Whats more ridiculous is Ward should have been put in jail rather than on probation because Illinois already has a law on the books that requires gang members to serve a minimum sentence, commonly called the Valadez Law.

Yeah but but but he wasnt caught with 4 grams of weed. If he had been they would have thrown the book at him for sure. Same crap, different decade. No one seems too interested in ending this phony drug war, so its no surprised that gang members and violent offenders get the revolving door treatment.

 

[sigurros81]

Yeah but but but he wasnt caught with 4 grams of weed. If he had been they would have thrown the book at him for sure. Same crap, different decade. No one seems too interested in ending this phony drug war, so its no surprised that gang members and violent offenders get the revolving door treatment.

The system is partly responsible for the death of this girl. What a joke our law enforcement system has become.

 

[glenn1]

Annnnnnnnd they want more gun laws..... idiots.

The gun control laws aren't to protect the black kids but rather the wealthy white urban liberals who support them and are terrified of being shot by the former whether by riot or robbery. Urban liberals prefer their brown-skinned lessers disarmed and docile, fulfilling their appointed role of providing them ethnic food or dressing in traditional clothes to perform their native dance or music at cultural festivals.

 

[sigurros81]

The gun control laws aren't to protect the black kids but rather the wealthy white urban liberals who support them and are terrified of being shot by the former whether by riot or robbery. Urban liberals prefer their brown-skinned lessers disarmed and docile, fulfilling their appointed role of providing them ethnic food or dressing in traditional clothes to perform their native dance or music at cultural festivals.

You sound like an idiot.

 

[glenn1]

You sound like an idiot.

Even if I do, it doesn't affect the truth value of my statement one bit - for urban liberals, protecting themselves is the primary reason they support gun control, saving the lives of ghetto blacks is at best a secondary benefit.

 

[sigurros81]

Even if I do, it doesn't affect the truth value of my statement one bit - for urban liberals, protecting themselves is the primary reason they support gun control, saving the lives of ghetto blacks is at best a secondary benefit.

Funny how you think the world is black and white like you.

 

[Tom]

Huh??? Someone needs to re-read the article.

Ward is the one who had a prior gun conviction and was on probation for said crime, Hadiya was 15 and couldn't own or even carry a gun anywhere in this country legally. Unless you read a different article stating Hadiya was arrested for having a gun I'm not following what you are saying

Whats more ridiculous is Ward should have been put in jail rather than on probation because Illinois already has a law on the books that requires gang members to serve a minimum sentence, commonly called the Valadez Law.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/7771279-418/the-valadez-law.html

The current laws aren't being enforced, and unless there is no history of Ward being a gang member (doubtful) why wasn't he put in prison for a minimum of 3 years? The Cook County courts just slap these violent criminals on the wrist and hope they don't do it again and then release them back into society t victimize more innocent people...

You are assuming its easy to prove someone is a gang member. How ?

A better solution would be 3 in prison for the gun violation, forget about different penalties for gang members as that is less enforceable.

 

[AHamick]

You are assuming its easy to prove someone is a gang member. How ?

A better solution would be 3 in prison for the gun violation, forget about different penalties for gang members as that is less enforceable.

In general, there is no one simple and easy way. Tattoos are an example of one way to ID a gang member, Im sure there are others.

In this case, Ward was more than happy to confess to intending to shoot rival gang members, meaning he is a gang member himself. It may have been possible for police to have him admit to being a gang member back during his prior gun arrest in January of 2012

While I agree there should be mandatory minimum sentences for gun violations, sadly they will not be enforced like current laws establishing a minimum sentence for gang members with guns. The link I provided shows several people convicted on the Valadez law (which requires a minimum 3 years in jail) who only received boot camp (a 12 month program) while 2 others received probation, meaning they walked out the court that day a free man, just like Ward.

The underlying problem is the Cook County courts have little desire to punish these criminals and keep slapping them on the hand and hope they behave next time

 

[TallBill]

In general, there is no one simple and easy way. Tattoos are an example of one way to ID a gang member, Im sure there are others.

In this case, Ward was more than happy to confess to intending to shoot rival gang members, meaning he is a gang member himself. It may have been possible for police to have him admit to being a gang member back during his prior gun arrest in January of 2012

While I agree there should be mandatory minimum sentences for gun violations, sadly they will not be enforced like current laws establishing a minimum sentence for gang members with guns. The link I provided shows several people convicted on the Valadez law (which requires a minimum 3 years in jail) who only received boot camp (a 12 month program) while 2 others received probation, meaning they walked out the court that day a free man, just like Ward.

The underlying problem is the Cook County courts have little desire to punish these criminals and keep slapping them on the hand and hope they behave next time

The city doesn't want them to behave. They want them to kill each other.

 

[AHamick]

The city doesn't want them to behave. They want them to kill each other.

No, the city prefers any death is an unexplained "accident", that way they cannot be reported as a "murder"...

But I was referring to Cook County courts/judges...

 

[Tom]

In general, there is no one simple and easy way. Tattoos are an example of one way to ID a gang member, Im sure there are others.

In this case, Ward was more than happy to confess to intending to shoot rival gang members, meaning he is a gang member himself. It may have been possible for police to have him admit to being a gang member back during his prior gun arrest in January of 2012

While I agree there should be mandatory minimum sentences for gun violations, sadly they will not be enforced like current laws establishing a minimum sentence for gang members with guns. The link I provided shows several people convicted on the Valadez law (which requires a minimum 3 years in jail) who only received boot camp (a 12 month program) while 2 others received probation, meaning they walked out the court that day a free man, just like Ward.

The underlying problem is the Cook County courts have little desire to punish these criminals and keep slapping them on the hand and hope they behave next time

Jurors aren't gonna send someone to jail for 3 years because they have a tatoo.

And why would someone sentence themselves to jail for 3 years by confessing to belonging to a gang ?

This is a BS law that comes from not antagonizing the NRA or their ilk, while seeming to combat gang violence.

Its an unworkable law, which is one reason it doesn't work.

 

[AHamick]

Jurors aren't gonna send someone to jail for 3 years because they have a tatoo.

And why would someone sentence themselves to jail for 3 years by confessing to belonging to a gang ?

This is a BS law that comes from not antagonizing the NRA or their ilk, while seeming to combat gang violence.

Its an unworkable law, which is one reason it doesn't work.

If jurors aren't acknowledging a person's gang affiliation from something so obvious as a gang tattoo then those people are the problem, not the law.

http://www.chicagogangs.org/index.php?pr=GANG_TATTOOS

I give you that SOME of those tattoos may seem ambiguous to someone who isn't enducated on gangs, but there are plenty of examples there that are PAINFULLY OBVIOUS they are gang members...

Plenty of gang members take extreme pride in their gang and have no problems openly expressing their affiliation (see photos from link above), even to law enforcement.

The violence in Chicago has very little to do with the NRA or any legal gun owners. Gangs are stealing their guns from people, gun laws have no effect on them having one or carrying one. Antagonizing the NRA will not stop or even remotely hinder criminal gangs from acquiring firearms.

The law has worked just fine, the link I provided lists 36 convictions in the first year, I cant find any info on how many since then.

The problem is Judges are NOT enforcing the laws these criminals are found to be guilty of.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

Societal decay marches on and no one wants to address it as the real issue.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

dbl post

 

[shortylickens]

Societal decay marches on and no one wants to address it as the real issue.

Actually tons of people do. No one listens to them.

 

[piasabird]

Not in Gun Free Chicago???

 

[piasabird]

Who else out there thinks that being on probation for a gun crime is somehow wrong. When you commit a gun crime you should get the death penalty.

 

[shortylickens]

Who else out there thinks that being on probation for a gun crime is somehow wrong. When you commit a gun crime you should get the death penalty.

I dunno. It gets the one guy off the street, but is final brutal justice really going to solve societies issues?