2017 homicide cases outpacing 2016

Homicide cases in Salinas are already outpacing last year’s number at this point. This, as police investigate the 12th homicide of the year, while on March 24, 2016, police had eight homicide cases on their hands.

A 43-year-old gang member was gunned down on the corner of North Main and Massa Streets on Thursday night. The suspect was last seen running away on North Main Street. Hours beforehand, family members identified the 38-year-old hit and run victim as William Crabbe.

Two homicides in one day prompted KION to look at where the homicides were happening and if there were any common denominators.

While the violence is spread throughout the city, much of the homicides have been in North and East Salinas. The victims range in age from 15 to 68, all of them men. Not all were gang-related. For example, the stabbing death of a beloved pastor and an officer-involved shooting.

Residents say, more needs to be done, from residents speaking out to stopping kids from joining gangs.

“That’s not OK,” Maria Sanchez said. “There’s nobody who takes care of these things, there’s just pure delinquency, and nobody does anything for that issue. There’s innocent people who walk on the streets and others come and shoot them. That’s not OK.”

“They need to have the courage to make their city safer,” Bill Freeman said. “If you don’t report a crime you make your neighborhood unsafe, you make the city unsafe and we need to make it safer.”