HAMLET — A rash of shootings within a two-month time frame in late spring had one detective thinking they were gang related.

Lt. Randy Dover with the Hamlet Police Department first made his hypothesis public following two shootings at the Hamlet Food Mart. There were four shootings with a victim in the city limits between May 1 and June 20.

In the first of two incidents at the Hamlet Food Mart, 21-year-old Diquon Cox was shot twice — once in the leg and once in the arm — around 9 p.m. on May 9, according to police. He was treated at a Charlotte hospital and released later that week.

Police identified the suspect in that shooting as 21-year-old Brian Devonte Dowdy, also known as “Billy Juice.”

He was arrested in Laurinburg after police there say he fired a gun inside a hotel room.

Hamlet police say 28-year-old Glen Joseph McCray, who was arrested after turning himself in to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, shot another man outside the Hamlet Food Mart just after midnight June 2.

Tierrell Martin, 19, is accused of having a stolen gun at the scene of that shooting.

According to Dover, Martin was in a vehicle that was shot by McCray in the parking lot of the store. Dover said Martin received minor injuries and fled the scene.

Martin was later charged in another case where investigators say he and two other men forced a man to give them his car keys.

Between the two shootings at the store, there was another nearby in front of Washington Avenue Apartments. In that case, Dover said three suspects were firing at each other, but no one was hit.

There was also shooting at a Spring Street home — the home of the victim in the June 2 shooting. The victim in that case was shot three times. Dover added there was gang graffiti found at the scene.

In October, there were four shootings in one weekend.

Dover said the first incident happened around 1:20 a.m. Oct. 15, when a man was shot seven or eight times. He said investigators believe the shooting happened on Monroe Avenue behind the Food Mart.

Several hours later, Dover said multiple shots were fired into a home, with several people inside, in the Buttercup Drive area.

Dover said there were also two vehicles shot at the Circle B convenience store the following Sunday. The first was shot around 1 a.m., and there were no injuries reported. The second happened around 11:21 a.m., and Dover said a woman was hit by a bullet fragment but did not go to the hospital for treatment.

A 17-year-old was shot three times on Pine Street earlier this month after police say he left a party.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The crime from gang activity isn’t limited to alleged members shooting at each other.

A 16-year-old was arrested after police recovered a stolen vehicle from Charlotte Avenue in Hamlet. Dover said at the time that it was believed that vehicle may have been connected to several Charlotte-area robberies.

During a public workshop in June, Brian Taylor said there were between 40 and 50 validated gang members in the county at any given time.

“People think that gangs are an urban problem,” Taylor said during the workshop. “They are an everywhere problem. It’s here. It’s in our community.”

Investigators with the sheriff’s office say there have been 11 gang-related incidents in the county since April 1, most of which have been shooting into vehicles or homes — including one case on Earle Franklin Drive a few months back.

Hamlet Police Chief Scott Waters said “fortunately” there have been no fatalities in the city’s multiple shootings.

He encourages residents, who he called the “eyes and ears” of the community, to talk to the police — something investigators have had a hard time getting witnesses to do.

“They need to call us when they see suspicious activity,” he said. “We’ve got to take our communities back.”

The chief said he hopes the community can come together in a unified effort to stop the violence.

“We can’t let the streets raise (the kids),” he said, adding that parents need to be more involved, so they won’t see their children incarcerated or at a funeral.

Barbara David, who attended a “Stop the Violence” event within blocks of most of the shootings, agrees, saying the community should get more involved with watching over the youth.

“Just don’t pass ‘em, ask if there’s anything you can help them with, ‘cause it might be a stray,” she said. “We all go through trials and tribulations, and this is a hard time, right now, for kids. Parents need to stand up for their rights and take control of their children, instead of them taking control of themselves. That’s what’s wrong with the world, there’s no more parents.

WHAT’S NEXT

Richmond County Sheriff James E. Clemmons Jr. recently announced the formation of a gang task force, in which local and state law enforcement agencies, along with state and federal prosecutors, are coming together to tackle the growing gang problem.

The task force is made up of representatives from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Rockingham and Hamlet police departments, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, Richmond County Schools and the system’s Special Police, District Attorney Reese Saunders’ office and the office of Ripley Rand, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to look into these types of activities,” he said, “but that’s the reality.”

One main component to detect gangs is that there has to be organization, and Clemmons said the tagging of buildings and wearing of gang colors is evidence of that.

He added that these aren’t just “wannabes or pretenders,” as several individuals have been identified as gang members.

Several suspects are still awaiting trial. All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Dowdy was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon on Oct. 13 and is expected to be released in September of 2017.

Officers have recently been through training to combat the issues, including at two-day gang identification class at Richmond Community College.

Clemmons added that its going to take more than just the justice community to tackle the problem, urging parents, teachers, pastors and other community members to step up and take a role.

“It’s going to involve all of us in Richmond County,” he said.

Reach William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_toler.

Daily Journal file photo An uptick in gang activity in 2016 has led to the formation of a gang task force, involving state and local law enforcement and local and federal prosecutors.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_DSC_1481-1.jpgDaily Journal file photo An uptick in gang activity in 2016 has led to the formation of a gang task force, involving state and local law enforcement and local and federal prosecutors.

By William R. Toler

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STORIES OF THE YEAR: NO. 2

The Daily Journal is reviewing Richmond County’s top 10 stories of 2016. Stories of the year are being published in reverse order beginning Tuesday and will conclude today.