I met a friend for drinks at Toronado early last night. After being there awhile, we checked out Bar Pink as El Ten Eleven were setting up, but we weren't really feeling it--Saturdays in North Park just really aren't for me, so we left and went to Soda Bar. People continue to argue about the development in the area- and neither the development nor the arguing will likely end soon- but to me, any area that becomes a pedestrian destination is naturally going to have more noticeable crime--not necessarily more crime, just crime that might touch our lives a little more closely.
By the time I got home, I read on my Twitter feed that there was some stuff going on in North Park, with at least two helicopters and several police cars. Unfortunately I found out tonight that there was a shooting. It happened around 1:30 in the morning, when I was already belly to the bar at the Ken Club, but the fact that it happened on a busy Saturday night (after North Park Nights, at that), just around last call, is reason for everyone to pay attention to what's going on around us. According to the SDUT blog, a fight broke out inside a private party at Club 8Teen, then moved outside and around the rear parking lot. The victim is ok, and it sounds like she was hit in the ankle by a stray bullet from the people who were fighting after being warned to stay inside the venue. Club 8Teen is the relatively new all ages spot at 3925 Ohio that was briefly known as Avalon.
The incident is probably considered relatively minor, so coverage was sparse, but you can check it out here SignOnSanDiego.com, on 10News.com and here at NBC 7/39
In other North Park news, the arsonist who set 14 fires around North Park last week was arrested. Read about it here or here.
Showing posts with label shootings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shootings. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Another Normal Heights Shooting
Last night there was another shooting in Normal Heights, and again the victim was leaving the A/C Lounge, only this time, instead of it being random, there was a post-bar altercation and the little punk came back and shot the other dude in the face. Another major difference is that since the shooter was at the A/C, witnesses were able to piece things together and the guy was arrested. I've written extensively about the shootings in my area here and I also attended a community meeting and wrote about it here.
It's not enough to get pissed off. This is OUR community. Do the simple things: keep an eye on your neighborhood, turn on or install security lighting, and, um, don't get in bar fights becuase people are fucking psycho and even more so after a night of drinking. I'd personally like the A/C Lounge to take some responsibility this time around. I don't know how you change the entire clientele of a bar, but something's gotta happen and soon. These situations are unacceptable.
It's not enough to get pissed off. This is OUR community. Do the simple things: keep an eye on your neighborhood, turn on or install security lighting, and, um, don't get in bar fights becuase people are fucking psycho and even more so after a night of drinking. I'd personally like the A/C Lounge to take some responsibility this time around. I don't know how you change the entire clientele of a bar, but something's gotta happen and soon. These situations are unacceptable.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Riki Watkins, R.I.P.
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a shooting in South Park. I looked into the incident and wrote about it for my CityBeat column that was supposed to publish yesterday. The paper ran out of space and so my column was pushed back to run next week. However, because of the timeliness of the article, I have decided to publish it here, mostly because the funeral is tomorrow and there is a benefit on Monday that I thought everyone should know about, especially for those who knew Riki and didn't even know it.
With random news of crime hitting the central San Diego area of late, news of shootings and muggings perk the ears of bargoers in the North Park, South Park, and Normal Heights area of the city. When news was reported of a shooting in South Park on December 17, 2007, hearts sunk when the news revealed that one of our own was killed in her own home. The U-T reported that Riki Rene Watkins was shot in her own home by her sister’s boyfriend, 20 year old Andrew Reyna.
Riki was a waitress at Commonwealth Café as well as a bartender at Kadan. In addition to her bartending shifts, she worked as a promoter at the bar, bringing in bands to play the club on 30th and Adams. Watkins’ best friend, Drew Meier, tells the story of what occurred the night of Watkins’ death. “A bunch of friends were out drinking. Riki called me and told me she was having a great time and that I should come meet them, but I couldn’t make it.” According to Meier, Riki and a male friend headed to her home in South Park. Breanna, Riki’s sister, objected to any late night partying because she’d just had her wisdom teeth pulled and just wanted to go to sleep. Breanna’s boyfriend, Reyna, put up a doggy gate in the hallway so the couple could sleep undisturbed. In the middle of the night, the gate fell, and the echo in the house alerted the sleeping couple. He grabbed his shotgun, thinking that Watkins’ unfamiliar male companion might be causing trouble, and threatened him with the shotgun. “The gun isn’t normally loaded,” says Meier, “but there was a bullet lodged in the barrel, and in an instant, the gun went off.” Riki was hit in the abdomen and died instantly. Reyna was taken into custody for suspicion of murder, and is being held until the start of his January 30th trial.
Meier says of the accident, “Nobody hates Andrew. Maybe people will say he shouldn’t have had a gun, but it was legal and registered, and he was only protecting the home. It was a total accident. He loved her and I know every day he is wishing he could just take those moments back.” Riki and Breanna had only moved to South Park from Oceanside about a month before the incident, where Riki worked at About Face Tattoo. Riki was known to be a loving, caring friend and sister. She was taking care of her father’s personal matters as he is in a nursing facility in Canada, and had a distant relationship with her mother, a resident of Oregon. “Breanna has a tattoo that expresses her love of Riki. The tattoo reads ‘my mom, my sister, my best friend’”
Friend and coworker, Heather Wilcox explains that while she and Riki were friends for less than a year, Riki was her rock. “She was the friend I’d call when I needed something-- anything—and I was that friend for her. Whether it was someone to go shopping with, or to bring me coffee during my day shift, or if she needed aspirin at work during her night shift, we were there for each other.” The two met when Watkins began dating one of Wilcox’s male friends. “He wanted me to meet her, and we met at Kadan. It was after 9 pm, and here’s this girl putting quarters in the meter. Later, it became a joke between us that obviously she was a natural blonde.” The friendship endured and it was Wilcox who helped Watkins get a job at Kadan. Sadly now, it is the enduring friendship that has Meier and Wilcox working tirelessly to host benefits to help the family cover burial expenses. A recent benefit at Scolari’s raised over $1600, while another at Bluefoot raised over $400. The main benefit, however, will be a show that Riki booked for her own 26th birthday at Kadan featuring Thee Corsairs and The Embalmers. At the show, taking place on January 7th, donations will be accepted as well as an auction for certificates to local tattoo shops. Chris Healey, owner of Kadan, will also be donating a percentage of the bar tab from the evening.
Services for Riki will be held on January 4th at Eternal Hills in Oceanside. In addition to the benefit at Kadan, a final benefit will be held in Riki’s honor at Hensley’s Flying Elephant on January 11, 2008. For additional information on any of the benefits or services, Meier can be reached via her MySpace page at ms/drewtattoo.
With random news of crime hitting the central San Diego area of late, news of shootings and muggings perk the ears of bargoers in the North Park, South Park, and Normal Heights area of the city. When news was reported of a shooting in South Park on December 17, 2007, hearts sunk when the news revealed that one of our own was killed in her own home. The U-T reported that Riki Rene Watkins was shot in her own home by her sister’s boyfriend, 20 year old Andrew Reyna.
Riki was a waitress at Commonwealth Café as well as a bartender at Kadan. In addition to her bartending shifts, she worked as a promoter at the bar, bringing in bands to play the club on 30th and Adams. Watkins’ best friend, Drew Meier, tells the story of what occurred the night of Watkins’ death. “A bunch of friends were out drinking. Riki called me and told me she was having a great time and that I should come meet them, but I couldn’t make it.” According to Meier, Riki and a male friend headed to her home in South Park. Breanna, Riki’s sister, objected to any late night partying because she’d just had her wisdom teeth pulled and just wanted to go to sleep. Breanna’s boyfriend, Reyna, put up a doggy gate in the hallway so the couple could sleep undisturbed. In the middle of the night, the gate fell, and the echo in the house alerted the sleeping couple. He grabbed his shotgun, thinking that Watkins’ unfamiliar male companion might be causing trouble, and threatened him with the shotgun. “The gun isn’t normally loaded,” says Meier, “but there was a bullet lodged in the barrel, and in an instant, the gun went off.” Riki was hit in the abdomen and died instantly. Reyna was taken into custody for suspicion of murder, and is being held until the start of his January 30th trial.
Meier says of the accident, “Nobody hates Andrew. Maybe people will say he shouldn’t have had a gun, but it was legal and registered, and he was only protecting the home. It was a total accident. He loved her and I know every day he is wishing he could just take those moments back.” Riki and Breanna had only moved to South Park from Oceanside about a month before the incident, where Riki worked at About Face Tattoo. Riki was known to be a loving, caring friend and sister. She was taking care of her father’s personal matters as he is in a nursing facility in Canada, and had a distant relationship with her mother, a resident of Oregon. “Breanna has a tattoo that expresses her love of Riki. The tattoo reads ‘my mom, my sister, my best friend’”
Friend and coworker, Heather Wilcox explains that while she and Riki were friends for less than a year, Riki was her rock. “She was the friend I’d call when I needed something-- anything—and I was that friend for her. Whether it was someone to go shopping with, or to bring me coffee during my day shift, or if she needed aspirin at work during her night shift, we were there for each other.” The two met when Watkins began dating one of Wilcox’s male friends. “He wanted me to meet her, and we met at Kadan. It was after 9 pm, and here’s this girl putting quarters in the meter. Later, it became a joke between us that obviously she was a natural blonde.” The friendship endured and it was Wilcox who helped Watkins get a job at Kadan. Sadly now, it is the enduring friendship that has Meier and Wilcox working tirelessly to host benefits to help the family cover burial expenses. A recent benefit at Scolari’s raised over $1600, while another at Bluefoot raised over $400. The main benefit, however, will be a show that Riki booked for her own 26th birthday at Kadan featuring Thee Corsairs and The Embalmers. At the show, taking place on January 7th, donations will be accepted as well as an auction for certificates to local tattoo shops. Chris Healey, owner of Kadan, will also be donating a percentage of the bar tab from the evening.
Services for Riki will be held on January 4th at Eternal Hills in Oceanside. In addition to the benefit at Kadan, a final benefit will be held in Riki’s honor at Hensley’s Flying Elephant on January 11, 2008. For additional information on any of the benefits or services, Meier can be reached via her MySpace page at ms/drewtattoo.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Shooting In South Park
A woman was killed in South Park. Apparently a group of friends returned home after a night out. In the middle of the night, the shooter heard noise in the home and shot the woman, who was his girlfriend's sister. Sounds like he believed there was an intruder. Nonetheless, the woman was killed. The story is here.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Shooting In Normal Heights
I've kept my comments about the Sunday morning homicide in Normal Heights restricted to my MySpace page, but I thought I should post it here, since there will be a vigil tomorrow night.
There was a bulletin going round, that I'm not gonna repost here, but it basically said there was a shooting (half a mile from my house). Here's the U-T article. The bulletin went on to mention the recent crime in the Normal Heights/University Heights/North Park areas and then the poster went on to say, "It makes me mad that we are not informed as a community by the police, but what do you expect."
I saw this bulletin and felt the need add my two cents. I don't know who the original author was(I saw the repost from Lancer's), but obviously everyone is against crime in their own neighborhood. But just an FYI, there HAVE been community meetings hosted by our City Councilperson Toni Atkins in conjunction with the SDPD, where neighborhood watch groups were organized. I attended a couple of those meetings and was very disappointed that I was one of a handful of people under 40 at any of them.
Maybe when you were a 15 year old skateboarder, it was cool to be dismissive with "Cops suck" or "Fuck the police", but we're adults now. Also, the job of disseminating information about crime is not the responsibility of police but of media. If you actually read the newspaper, all of the mentioned crimes (in the original myspace bulletin) were covered. Neighborhood crime statistics are available on the SDPD website.
We have power at the ballot box, we have power within our communities to actually show up and be present for events and meetings, and we have power to be good neighbors and watch out for our fellow citizens. Cliche as it is, if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Complaining about the cops does nothing for anybody.
*****
*****
I wanted to add that after a shooting that took place this summer, there were a series of community meetings. I attended one of them and posted the information that was given about "what we can do" within the community. The information is still useful, though there have unfortunately been more shootings since then.
Community Meeting Notes
There was a bulletin going round, that I'm not gonna repost here, but it basically said there was a shooting (half a mile from my house). Here's the U-T article. The bulletin went on to mention the recent crime in the Normal Heights/University Heights/North Park areas and then the poster went on to say, "It makes me mad that we are not informed as a community by the police, but what do you expect."
I saw this bulletin and felt the need add my two cents. I don't know who the original author was(I saw the repost from Lancer's), but obviously everyone is against crime in their own neighborhood. But just an FYI, there HAVE been community meetings hosted by our City Councilperson Toni Atkins in conjunction with the SDPD, where neighborhood watch groups were organized. I attended a couple of those meetings and was very disappointed that I was one of a handful of people under 40 at any of them.
Maybe when you were a 15 year old skateboarder, it was cool to be dismissive with "Cops suck" or "Fuck the police", but we're adults now. Also, the job of disseminating information about crime is not the responsibility of police but of media. If you actually read the newspaper, all of the mentioned crimes (in the original myspace bulletin) were covered. Neighborhood crime statistics are available on the SDPD website.
We have power at the ballot box, we have power within our communities to actually show up and be present for events and meetings, and we have power to be good neighbors and watch out for our fellow citizens. Cliche as it is, if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Complaining about the cops does nothing for anybody.
*****
Here's the information about the vigil:
Candlight Vigil
Join us Wednesday December 12th
7pm at the Corner of Adams Avenue and Wilson
Normal Heights
To call attention to Sunday's murder of a 99 cent store clerk and a rash of violent crimes in recent months. We want to come together as a community to stop and acknowledge the recent incidents of violence.
Help us make Normal Heights a place where we can feel safe on our streets and help discuss what we can do to prevent this from happening in the future.
But please come out Wednesday Night to support stopping crime in Normal Heights and along Adams Avenue home to The Air Conditioned, Lestats, Ould Sod, The Lou Jones, Rosie O'Grady's, Dimilles, and a number of other great establishments!!!!
*****
I wanted to add that after a shooting that took place this summer, there were a series of community meetings. I attended one of them and posted the information that was given about "what we can do" within the community. The information is still useful, though there have unfortunately been more shootings since then.
Community Meeting Notes
Monday, October 01, 2007
Normal Heights Shooting October 1, 2007
It is really sad to me that after such an amazing weekend in Normal Heights and the complete sense of safety and community, that I have to post this, but a lot of people are on "the Google" and are looking for information, so here, the blurb from SignOnSanDiego:
Here's video from KUSI.
To me the story already doesn't make that much sense, because the woman who was driving the victim went all the way to the 15 onramp and not the 805 on ramp which is just a block from the gas station in this story. I will follow up this post if and when more information becomes available.Police seek gunman in Normal Heights
San Diego police are investigating after a man was shot in Normal Heights this vening, then driven away in a pickup that crashed on state Route 15 at Interstate 8.Police said the victim, about 35, was shot three times and was in serious condition as an ambulance took him to a hospital.
Witnesses called police at 6:11 p.m. to report that a man had fired as many as eight gunshots at a man who was pumping gas at a Valero station on Adams Avenue at West Mountain View Drive. A woman reportedly helped the wounded man into a black pickup and sped away.
The pickup may have had a blowout, causing the driver to crash into a guard rail on northbound Route 15 transition lanes toward I-8. The pickup came to a halt on the right shoulder.
The gunman, described as Latino, in his 20s, 6 feet tall, and bald, wearing black clothes, was seen running west on Adams Avenue. Officers are continuing to search for him.
Here's video from KUSI.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Crime In San Diego: Witnesses Needed
These are direct copies of two MySpace bulletins from the weekend (sorry for the caps):
LAST NIGHT AT 2:15 AM A SHOOTING TOOK PLACE ON THE CORNER OF GARNETT AND BAYARD IN PACIFIC BEACH.And at the Tower Bar (Sat night):
SHORTLY AFTER AN ALTERCATION IN FRONT OF THE BURRITO SHOP ON MISSION AN ASIAN MAN ABOUT 6 FOOT TALL WITH SHORT SPIKY HAIR WEARING BLUE COLLAR SHIRT, BAGGY PANTS & BLACK GLOVES APPROACHED THE GROUP OF 8 AND OPENED FIRE. ERIC JOSEPH (FROM STINGAREE AND BARWEST) TOOK A BULLET IN EACH LEG AND WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL.
SURGERY TO REMOVE THE BULLETS AND REPAIR SHATTERED BONES WAS SUCCESSFUL AND ERIC IS NOW IN RECOVERY.
THE SHOOTER RAN WEST TOWARDS DENNY'S AND JUMPED IN A GREEN 0R BLUE CHEVY S-10 PICK UP (PARTIAL PLATE 7DJGB) AND GOT AWAY. ANY INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO THESE EVENTS THAT MAY LEAD TO THE CAPTURE AND ARREST OF THIS KID WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND REWARDED.
THIS CITY IS TOO SMALL FOR SOMEONE NOT TO KNOW THIS KID AND WE ASK THAT YOU CALL JASON AT 619.708.0421 WITH ANY LEADS OR CONTACT THE POLICE DIRECTLY. THIS KID NEEDS TO BE BEHIND BARS!
PLEASE KEEP ERIC AND HIS FAMILY IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AS WE GET THROUGH THIS UNIMAGINABLE EVENT AND HE WORKS TOWARDS RECOVERY!
Last night some of my friends got held up outside of Tower Bar off of University Basically this is what happened!In a related note, there is a follow up safety meeting to discuss the recent crime issues in North Park, Uni Heights, Kensington and "Between Heights". The Meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 18 from 6:30-8pm at the Normal Heights Community Center at 4649 Hawley Blvd. Toni Atkins is hosting along with SDPD and other community members.
We parked on the side street behind the bar and when we went to drive off we had a gun pulled on us. If not for the stunt driving I don't think things would have turned out in our favor. If you go to the Tower bar never park south of University!!
My friend said that she was unable to make out the facial descriptions of the people who held them up, but it was two hispanic males driving a white truck.
This is a warning for all of us, try to watch out and be safe, it can happen anywhere!
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