Gang authority says Folklife shooting typical; gangs don’t care where bullets go

The suspect being investigated for wounding a bystander at Seattle’s Folklife Festival told police after the incident that he was a member of street gang, Little Valley Lakote, based out of Yakima. A man familiar with gang activity from groups like LVL says the type of violence that occurred at the Seattle Center is pretty typical.

“The gang mentality, or the gang psychology is if you have been disrespected by a fellow gang member, or someone suspected of being a fellow gang member, it’s an expectation that you retaliate,” Randy Town, with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, who previously served as the Gang Commission Coordinator in Yakima County, tells 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show.

Police say the shooting suspect, William A. Diaz, 19, had been approached by another man that said, “you from Yaks,” which the suspect understood to mean, “Are you from Yakima?”

After the suspect didn’t respond to the question, the other man reportedly hit him across the head with a skateboard.

At this point, police say the suspect retaliated by pulling out a .22 handgun and firing off a shot. An innocent bystander was hit with the bullet in his right leg.

The suspected shooter, Diaz, was arrested after a short attempt to evade police and ordered held on $500,000 bail for investigation of assault.

Ryan Burr, the 33-year-old victim, was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg and released from the hospital Saturday night.

Town says when frays like this erupt, he believes gang members think little about others that could be impacted by the violence.

“I don’t think gang members really care one way or the other where those stray bullets go,” says Town. “We’ve had several people killed over the last several years as a result of stray bullets, innocent people.”

Town says the Little Valley Lakote gang is quickly spreading across the state. The suspected shooter at the Folklife Festival told authorities he was from Kent.

“We know that there is presence in Seattle, Kent, Renton, Lewis County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, Thurston, Mason County, Ontario, Ore., plus Grant County, Tri-Cities and obviously Yakima Valley,” says Town.

He added that authorities in Yakima are testing out multiple methods to combat the problem.

“Law enforcement suppression is a very effective tool. The problem with law enforcement suppression activities is it is very costly. It can’t sustain it over a long period of time, so you have to balance that out with other approaches, such as prevention.”

Town says they’re exploring methods of prevention and intervention on young gang members. He says the message from gangs to youth can be compelling.

“Put yourself in the position of being a 13-year-old kid, looking forward and there’s not much of a future. You’re not doing well in school, and an 18 or 19-year-old gang member comes up to you, opens a three-ring binder and shows you pictures of what you could have, cars, money, girls anytime you want. Where’s the attraction? Is the attraction to school and bettering yourself that way, or is it following that person that can give you what you want almost instantly?”

Town says they have many second and third-generation gang members in Yakima, and a big part of prevention and intervention is showing people there is another way to live.

“I would likely guess we’ll never eradicate it,” says Town. “Can we put a handle, and lid on it? We certainly hope we can, by providing people another way and another lifestyle, by showing them there are other ways to live life as opposed to being involved in gangs.”

By KIRO Radio staff