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Wilkes-Barre Mayor George’s reelection kickoff cancelled due to weather

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WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Drive-by shootings that rocked the city in recent days were not random, police Chief Joseph Coffay said Wednesday, and may have roots in a dispute between two people that began in December.Coffay warned that the violence has put others at risk.&#8220;They are not just shooting at the individual they have the problem with,&#8221; Coffay said during a press conference at City Hall with Mayor Tony George and other officials.&#8220;They&#8217;re shooting into their homes and vehicles. There are relatives who are not even affiliated with them and they are becoming victims,&#8221; the chief added.The department has stepped up patrols as it works to make arrests and end the shooting spree. Police have identified several suspects with potential ties to two or more shootings, Coffay said, adding that an arrest could be imminent.That doesn&#8217;t mean the process has been easy.&#8220;Cooperation by victims has been limited to none in most of these shootings, but we have been making headway,&#8221; Coffay said.Tuesday brought two drive-by shootings in the city &#8212; first targeting a vehicle on Dana Street and later targeting a house on Dagobert Street.They followed gunfire Monday on Lockhart Street and a Saturday shooting that injured a man on Bowman Street, all of which police believe are related. The Bowman Street victim was still hospitalized on Wednesday.Police do not believe those incidents are related to a Feb. 12 shooting that seriously injured two Scranton women who were found in a bullet-ridden car on South Main Street.&#8220;That is a separate investigation and we hope to have an arrest in the coming days,&#8221; Coffay said.Gang ties?The chief would not commit to calling the suspects gang members &#8212; even though some may claim to be &#8212; saying the only way he will definitely know is when they are in custody and can be interviewed.&#8220;In my experience, a gang member will never tell you they are in a gang because that&#8217;s part of their code,&#8221; he said.Coffay did note, however, that people in the city who claim to be part of a gang have said they are with the Bloods or the Crips.The chief also reaffirmed that some suspects are believed to have local roots, while others are from the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia areas.He stressed that the shooters knew who they were going after.&#8220;These are not random acts of violence. They are targeted,&#8221; Coffay said.Enhanced patrolsCity police are working with law enforcement from the local, state and federal agencies, including the ATF, FBI, Pennsylvania AG&#8217;s Office and the Luzerne County DA&#8217;s office. State police also are patrolling the city along with Wilkes-Barre officers.&#8220;We have every available resource to us. We&#8217;ve added extra police to patrols as well as detectives working around the clock to put an end to this,&#8221; Coffay said.George urged patience as police do their work.&#8220;Wilkes-Barre is on edge and rightfully so,&#8221; George said. &#8220;Over the past week we had several shootings in the city. This is my home and your home. Thugs who don&#8217;t have the respect or regard for us or our neighbors don&#8217;t deserve to be here.&#8220;This isn&#8217;t a TV show or a reality game, this is reality,&#8221; the mayor added. &#8220;It takes time to solve crimes. They aren&#8217;t solved overnight. Just because you don&#8217;t hear anything doesn&#8217;t mean they aren&#8217;t working their tails off to solve this.&#8221;Brown speaks outFollowing Wednesday afternoon&#8217;s press conference, mayoral candidate George Brown &#8212; who is set to challenge fellow Democrat George in May&#8217;s primary &#8212; issued a press release about the shootings.&#8220;I want to thank Chief Coffay and the police department who&#8217;ve been working short-handed through this rash of shootings,&#8221; Brown said. &#8220;Their commitment should not be doubted.&#8221;&#8220;As a neighbor, father and grandfather, I am not immune to the fear that has taken over South Wilkes-Barre,&#8221; the mayoral hopeful added. &#8220;Now is not the time for politics. I hope everyone can agree to commit to fully funding and staffing our police force going forward, so our residents can feel safe in their homes once again.&#8221;Shooting incidentsAccording to a Times Leader review of Wilkes-Barre Police Facebook posts and previous news reports, following is a list of shootings reported in the city since December. Not all may be related to the current investigation.&#8226; Dec. 7, 2018: A 20-year-old gunshot victim walks into a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. City police determine the incident took place on Wood Street.&#8226; Dec. 12: A woman tells police she was driving up an unnamed alley in the area of Westminster and South Franklin streets when a black male opened fire on her vehicle. The four occupants were uninjured but there were bullet holes in her car.&#8226; Jan. 26, 2019: Police respond to the area of North Hancock Street for reports of shots fired. A 44-year-old female tells officers her car was struck by gunfire.&#8226; Feb. 4: Police respond to a report of a gunshot victim on Park Avenue. The male tells police he was walking in the area of Hutston and Metcalf streets and struck by gunfire coming from a vehicle. The victim is unable to provide authorities with an ID of the shooter or the vehicle. He is transported to a medical facility for treatment.&#8226; Feb. 8: An unoccupied residence is struck by gunfire on Elizabeth Street.&#8226; Feb. 12: Alanah Sobrinski, 19, and Nichole Santiago, 20, both of Scranton, are found shot in a car on South Main Street near Penn Plaza with life-threatening injuries, though both survive. Police are still searching for persons of interest.&#8226; Feb. 16: A 28-year-old man suffers a gunshot wound to his upper torso in the 200 block of Bowman Street.&#8226; Feb. 18: Police investigate gunfire on Lockhart Street; no injuries reported.&#8226; Feb. 19: Car struck by gunfire on Dana Street.&#8226; Feb. 19: House struck by gunfire on Dagobert Street.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Joseph Coffay and Mayor Tony George address members of the media about recent gunfire in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL022119Mayor-Presser1-7.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Joseph Coffay and Mayor Tony George address members of the media about recent gunfire in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Chief details probe, efforts to end gunfire</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Dan Stokesdstokes@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Shooting IncidentsAccording to a Times Leader review of Wilkes-Barre Police Facebook posts and previous news reports, following is a list of shootings reported in the city since December. Not all may be related to the current investigation.&#8226; Dec. 7, 2018: A 20-year-old gunshot victim walks into a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. City police determine the incident took place on Wood Street.&#8226; Dec. 12: A woman tells police she was driving up an unnamed alley in the area of Westminster and South Franklin streets when a black male opened fire on her vehicle. The four occupants were uninjured but there were bullet holes in her car.&#8226; Jan. 26, 2019: Police respond to the area of North Hancock Street for the reports of shots fired. A 44 year old female tells officers her car was struck by gunfire.&#8226; Feb. 4: Police respond to a report of a gunshot victim on Park Avenue. The male tells police he was walking in the area of Hutston and Metcalf Streets and struck by gunfire coming from a vehicle. The victim is unable to provide authorities with an ID of the shooter or the vehicle. He is transported to a medical facility for treatment.&#8226; Feb. 8: An unoccupied residence is struck by gunfire on Elizabeth Street.&#8226; Feb. 12: Alanah Sobrinski, 19, and Nichole Santiago, 20, both of Scranton, are found shot in a car on South Main Street near Penn Plaza with life-threatening injuries, though both survive. Police are still searching for persons of interest.&#8226; Feb. 16: A 28-year-old man suffers a gunshot wound to his upper torso in the 200 block of Bowman Street.&#8226; Feb. 18: Police investigate gunfire on Lockhart Street; no injuries reported.&#8226; Feb. 19: Car struck by gunfire on Dana Street.&#8226; Feb. 19: House struck by gunfire on Dagobert Street.</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><table style="border:none;width:98%;" class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> 2X7Y_2w1ZKA</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X7Y_2w1ZKA</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table>(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</videoMeta></div>

Chief: WB shootings not random; patrols in city boosted