A gang leader's murder has sparked concerns about retaliation in Albany. But law officers and school leaders say they will make sure that students and visitors are safe from gang violence.
Threats of further gang violence in retaliation for the murder of the Southside Bloods gang leader Sunday have not only been the talk in Albany, but across South Georgia as well. Law enforcement assures people that community events will be safe.
Albany and Dougherty County's top law officers have a stern warning for gang members.
Albany Police Chief John Proctor said "Enough of this. We are fed up with it. We're tired of it. We're going to take back our cities. We're going to take back our neighborhoods. We're going to take back our schools. We're fed up with this stuff, and we're going to deal with it once and for all."
There three early morning gang shootings Sunday.
Six people were wounded and the leader of the Southside Bloods, 24 year old Dontavious Luke, was killed.
Police say members of the rival gang, the Rattlers, shot him.
That's expected to trigger a gang war.
Proctor said "All of our staffs have been placed on high alert, to deal with this issue over the next days, and hours to come. We will do all that we can legally do to safeguard this community."
There will be heavy presence of law enforcement at High Mills and ASU's stadiums this weekend.
Dougherty County School Police Department Chief Troy Conley said "Just want everyone to know that it's going to be safe. We've increased some pro-active measures. I can assure you the pro-active measures will not affect the law abiding citizens."
Westover will host Tift County in Saturday night's game....and leaders of Tift County Schools and Sheriff's Office attended the Albany press conference, because of concerns from their community.
Tift County Schools Superintendent Patrick Atwater said "We're very pleased with the active stance that they've taken and feel comfortable about moving forward with the game on Saturday night."
Dougherty County School Superintendent Dr. Joshua Murfree said "we are not in fear. That we are on alert, but we are moving forward in terms of what we must do. We must live in this community that we love."
A community taking gang threats very seriously.
The top cops said they want people to not be afraid, but stay alert. And if you see any suspicious activity call and report it.
The District Attorney issued an apology Friday for releasing what he calls bad information.
Greg Edwards told us Thursday that the gang shootings followed a fight at the Omega Psi Phi house on West Oakridge.
We now know that didn't happen.
Edwards said " I want this to be that was unverified. Omega Psi Phi fraternity was not involved in terms of it's members, personnel, facilities, or any of the auspices in this particular investigation."
Omega Psi Phi Basileus W. Frank Wilson said "I appreciate the District Attorney coming to our rescue, and getting the right information into the public domain. We appreciate it."
The D. A. Also told us there was a fight at Club Xscape the night before the shootings.
The Club Xscape owner says that didn't happen, and that his customers don't have to worry about safety.
Tim Shelton said "My deepest condolences go out to everybody that was involved. I think that what really happened was tragic. And I think that the District Attorney and the Gang Task Force is doing a great job in the efforts in this area."
The D.A. Is NOT retracting his statement about a fight Friday night at Club Xscape and says it remains under investigation.
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