Killing of a Hells Angels leader prompts state of emergency
The fatal shooting of a Hells Angels leader during a casino melee with a rival gang has prompted the mayor of Sparks, Nev., to declare a state of emergency and cancel an annual motorcycle event, authorities said Saturday.
"The safety and security of the public is our No. 1 priority,” Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said in a statement Saturday. Police have increased foot and mobile patrols in and around downtown.
No suspects have been arrested in Friday's killing of Jeffrey Pettigrew, 51, president of the San Jose chapter of Hells Angels, or the shootings of two members of a rival group, the Vagos Motorcycle Club, authorities said.
Leonard Ramirez, 45, was in stable condition at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and Diego Garcia, 28, was in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the leg.
"Villagrana was seen on videotape shooting into the crowd during the incident," Sparks police said in a statement. "However, it cannot be confirmed at this time if any of the projectiles struck the victims identified."
Meanwhile, police are trying to determine whether a separate drive-by shooting Saturday morning was somehow related to the brawl the night before at John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino Resort, according to a report on the unfolding investigation posted on the department’s website.
On Saturday, a motorcyclist was driving in the 100 block of East Victorian Avenue when someone in a car that pulled alongside shot him in the stomach, authorities said. The victim, whose name was being withheld, was listed in stable condition at a local hospital.
Witnesses said a black 3 Series BMW sedan with tinted windows with two occupants was seen driving west on Victorian at a high rate of speed immediately after the shooting, authorities said.
Investigators were unable to definitively link the two shooting incidents. Nonetheless, an increased demand for public safety coupled with a lack of police resources moved law enforcement officials, city administrators and Nugget executives to shut down the 2011 Street Vibrations event in town.
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-- Louis Sahagun