Chicago Tribune reported that the chrome-and-black .45-caliber pistol once belonged to Jason since Jennifer's slain brother

Chicago Tribune reported that the chrome-and-black .45-caliber pistol found by the Chicago police a block from where 7-year-old Julian King's body was discovered, was indeed the weapon used for the slaying. Furthermore, the publication noted that the police are investigating whether it is the gun once belonged to Jason since Jennifer's slain brother allegedly has an identical gun which he said to be stolen months prior to the murder. So far, authorities haven't put charges on anyone for the killings. However, Jennifer's brother-in-law and Julia's estranged husband, 27-year-old William Balfour, has been called a "person of interest" on the case. He is being held in custody on a parole violation.Jennifer Hudson’s brother might have once possessed the stolen handgun that cops suspect was used to kill him and two other members of the actress’ family, the Chicago Tribune reported yesterday. The brother, Jason Hudson, 27, told neighbors his weapon was swiped months ago, the Tribune said. Jason was found shot dead along with his mother on Oct. 24. Hudson’s nephew, Julian King, 7, was abducted and found shot to death with a .45-caliber Sig Sauer pistol three days later in an SUV. William “Flex” Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson’s sister, is under arrest.

Rana Ismail, 34, of Worth, was shot multiple times at in the 7300 block of West 87th Street and was pronounced dead on the scene at 2:45 p.m

Rana Ismail, 34, of Worth, was shot multiple times at in the 7300 block of West 87th Street and was pronounced dead on the scene at 2:45 p.m., the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said. A Sunday autopsy determined she died from multiple gunshot wounds and her death was ruled a homicide.Police say this man shot and killed a woman while robbing a financial services firm Saturday morning. Ismail was working at Middle Eastern Financial Services when a man entered the business and shot her multiple times during an apparent robbery, Bridgeview police said.
The man is described as a white male, possibly of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern decent, 40 to 50 years old, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10 and weighing 200 to 230 pounds, police said.The man walked with a slight limp and was driving a newer-model, charcoal Toyota 4 Runner Sport with a luggage rack, hood scoop and six-point rims.
The vehicle had running boards on both sides and unknown Illinois registration -- possibly a handicapped registration, according to a Bridgeview police release.

Necklace with a machine gun pendant LILY ALLEN condemned

LILY ALLEN has been condemned for glamorising guns by wearing a necklace with a machine gun pendant. The Smile hitmaker - who previously met with London mayor Boris Johnson to outline proposals to reduce knife crime - was photographed wearing the gold pendant on Friday (26Sep08). But the choice of jewellery has outraged anti-violence groups, who have branded Allen "irresponsible".Lyn Costello, from anti-violence group MAMAA, says: "She is glamorising the use of guns. It's totally irresponsible. "She's a role model and people look up to her. The last thing we want is people looking at her and thinking guns are fashionable. "I'm really disappointed in her. She had a meeting with the Mayor saying she's worried about knife crime but is she not worried about gun crime too. "If she's really worried about violent crime then she shouldn't wear a necklace that

Guns are back with a vengeance on Bronx streets

Guns are back with a vengeance on Bronx streets - gun arrests are down in the double digits. In some precincts, gun arrests are down as much as 50% or more, while shootings there are up in the 30% range. The percentages are high, but the numbers are nowhere near as bad as the bad old days of the early '90s, when crack cocaine drug wars were littering the streets with bodies and emergency rooms with shooting victims. As of Oct. 5, there were 100 murders in the Bronx so far this year, compared to 88 for the same period last year - a 13.6% jump. Two years ago, murders were down 13%. Citywide, the numbers were 400 homicides versus 359 in 2007, up 11.4%. Two years ago, they were down 8.6%. Some 383 people have been shot in the borough, compared to 359 last year - a 6.6% jump. Citywide, shootings are up 7.2%, with 1,420 victims compared to 1,324 last year. Gun arrests are down 20.2% in the Bronx, and 12.3% citywide. That compares to a 25.6% Bronx decline, and a 16% citywide drop two years ago. "There was a time when the heat was on, and you'd leave your gun at home," said one veteran Bronx detective. "If you got into a beef, at least you couldn't pull it out right there on the street." One of the key questions police have to answer, experts say, is whether crime-fighting strategies have pushed crime as low as it can go, or if there may be a new trend, such as a rising youth population, that calls for new tactics. Hard economic times ahead, in a borough with a quarter of the population already living below the federal poverty line, could also create a whole set of crime problems. Robberies have already started creeping up in the borough, rising 5.6% so far this year, compared to a .3% increase two years ago. One possible police response could be to resurrect or bolster some crimefighting methods, such as the citywide street crime unit that focused on getting guns off the streets. One thing for certain, in police stationhouses and squadrooms across the Bronx, the general talk is that shootings are way out of hand, with guns now commonplace on the streets, particularly among youths and young men.
"These young kids are out of control," said one Bronx homicide detective. "It seems to be a trend every few years where you have younger kids involved, teenagers that are running the streets."

loud music gave way to gunfire on East Chase Street in front of the Belvedere, leaving two people wounded by bullets, a third person stabbed

loud music gave way to gunfire on East Chase Street in front of the Belvedere, leaving two people wounded by bullets, a third person stabbed and a bartender using a towel to try and stop the flow of blood. City authorities said an argument led to a fight that led to the shootings, and that it involved patrons of Ultralounge.As city homicides decline, special police team gets most of the credit The establishment, which recently made a comeback from a police raid and criminal charges filed against the owner two years ago, has long been able to skirt scrutiny by city officials because of an odd zoning designation and its status as a "bottle club," which until just four months ago allowed it to operate outside the reach of the liquor board.A bottle club, explained liquor board Chairman Stephan Fogleman, "is a strange legal creature," essentially a BYOB bar. The only requirement was that the owner had to send a letter to the liquor board to register. "We had no oversight, nothing," Fogleman said.
But that has since changed. On June 1, a new state law took effect putting bottle clubs - the one at the Belvedere is the only one in the city - under the same liquor rules that govern bars. That means the owner can be held accountable for the actions of his patrons."This is just tragic, and I can't believe our worst-case scenario is coming together so fast," Fogleman said of the violence. "I don't know if this incident will lead to calls for the club's closing, but obviously if the people at the Belvedere sign a petition, we would accommodate a hearing."
Sammy Hyun Paik bought the Ultralounge's 6,000-foot space in the same way a resident buys a house. And the condo association cannot enforce rules that contradict existing city laws or prohibit uses allowed under zoning regulations.
The city managed to shut Paik's bottle club two years ago after city police raided the business and hauled out bottles of beer, brandy and wine and took Paik and his associate away in handcuffs. Paik was charged with liquor infractions, such as failing to register the bottle club and selling alcohol without a license. His associate, Louis L. Wood, was charged with liquor violations and a gun violation.
Prosecutors put the criminal charges on the inactive docket, and civil and criminal charges related to zoning violations have all but gone away. Explanations for this varied yesterday, but with city and state offices closed for Columbus Day, it was not possible to obtain court records and other documents. But the closure of the case and reopening of the club has angered Ken Pippin, the former head of the Belvedere's condo board."The guy caters to thugs; that's his basic clientele," he said of Paik. "If everyone had done what they were supposed to do, this place would be closed up as any kind of nightclub. It's frustrating because now it almost seems like we're starting all over again. And now it's worse. We've had people beaten up. We had a stabbing. We had people get mad at getting thrown out and come back and shoot a hole through the door."Wood, the manager of Ultralounge, said there was a verbal altercation before the club closed early Saturday and that the "aggressor was removed from the premises." A short time later, there was a shooting outside. "What happened, to me, was an isolated incident on public property that no one can foresee or stop," Wood said.The manager called descriptions of Ultralounge as a hip-hop club false, and he said the club fits in at the condominium complex. "From my understanding, the point in 2006 was not whether we belonged at the Belvedere, but over permits," Wood said, adding that the club is now in compliance. "Our establishment does not promote or advertise for one demographic versus another. We have held Sweet 16 parties. We have held 40th-birthday parties. ... We are not a hip-hop club or an urban club."Wood said the club even holds monthly Christian events.
The Ultralounge is not the Owl Bar. Variety is good, but violence isn't, and owners of bars and bottle clubs alike have to keep their establishments safe and civil for their patrons and their neighbors. The club attracted the people involved in the shooting; it can't take all the blame, and it can't shirk all the responsibility.
Breaking the law is part of the Belvedere's lore, its mystique - that long mahogany bar once served as a speak-easy during Prohibition. The Ultralounge is in the basement where casks of illegal whiskey were once stored, but that doesn't mean its owner doesn't need to keep an eye out for more modern transgressions."It's a very well-known building," Wood said of the Belvedere. "It's a very nice building. We're happy to be where we are."

Chinese authorities say they dealt with 4,666 gun cases last year

Chinese authorities say they dealt with 4,666 gun cases last year. Officials often respond to sensational gun crimes in the U.S. and elsewhere by affirming the need to maintain tough laws.With guns often hard to buy, some criminals forge them instead. Late last year, Shanghai police responded to a call about a robbery in progress at a gritty scrap yard. According to a police spokesman, officers spotted a man fleeing the scene and yelled "freeze," but he pulled a crude homemade pistol from a bag.
Witnesses say the suspect was brought down after a gunfight that had shots echoing all around the neighborhood. A police spokesman said the suspect, identified as Tang Qingjie, was shot in the leg by an officer. He said Mr. Tang had never managed to fire his weapon, which in a police photo appeared to have been soldered together.
The handling of Mr. Tang's case also offers a possible indication of why gun crimes in China seem so rare. They sometimes aren't highlighted when criminal charges are made public. When Shanghai prosecutors formally arraigned Mr. Tang in September, they alleged he committed robbery -- a serious charge but not one that automatically suggests use of a weapon.Speaking generally about Chinese law, a court spokesman said evidence of a gun can be introduced during a robbery trial. But criminal trials in China aren't always open to the public, and evidence can be suppressed.The Communist Party lauds marksmanship enough to give freshmen college students basic training in it. Shooting produced a national hero for China in 1984, when Xu Haifeng became the country's first Olympic gold medalist by winning the 50-meter pistol event in Los Angeles. At this year's Beijing Games, China won five of its 51 gold medals in shooting events.Beijing's support for the sport has helped spur a rise of hobby enthusiasts. The government has sanctioned businesses such as the Shanghai East Shooting Club, a former bomb shelter where customers can have a drink and fire a variety of weapons. Owner Zhang Jiewei says his clients are looking to relax.
But increasingly, gun fans are gaining access to guns -- and hunting illegally. In rural Anhui province last year, a group of wealthy businessmen, gun-club owners and former army officers organized wild-fowl shoots. Feasting on game cooked in a spicy brown sauce, one of them toasted, "Guns have brought us together."Gun buffs can turn to Small Arms, a twice-monthly glossy magazine that claims 60,000 subscribers. The Beretta M9 semiautomatic pistol "is classic," said Zheng Zhoujian, an 18-year-old reader. "I envy people in other countries where guns are legal."

Hassan J. Peters multiple gunshots were fired at Peters by the occupants of a passing vehicle.

Homicide detectives last night were still investigating the circumstances surrounding the slaying on Bellevue Avenue of Hassan J. Peters, but Detective Capt. Joseph Ju niak said preliminary information gathered from witnesses suggest that multiple gunshots were fired at Peters by the occupants of a passing vehicle.
No descriptions were available, however, of that vehicle or its two male occupants.
Juniak said last night that it is too early to tell if there is any gang connection to the killing. He said detectives will be looking into Pet ers' background and speaking to his family to learn more about why he might have been targeted.
It was about 6:15 p.m. when police received reports of a shooting on Bellevue Avenue, between Fowler and Calhoun streets. Officers and emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene within minutes to find Peters -- shot in the upper body -- in critical condition. Juniak said an autopsy will determine precisely how many times Peters was shot. Peters, a resident of nearby Fairway Drive, was rushed by am bulance to Capital Health System at Fuld hospital and pronounced dead a short time later, Juniak said. Immediately after they arrived, police shut down Bellevue Avenue and cordoned off the area sur rounding the shooting -- just a stone's thrown from the rear parking lot of Shiloh Baptist Church -- with crime scene tape.
"This is crazy. It don't make no sense. They're killing each other for nothing," one bystander said aloud, to no one in particular, as he watched detectives scan the street with flashlights in search of evi dence. On Feb. 19, 2002, a teenage Peters was injured in a freak accident involving a police car. According to The Times' archive, a police car traveling on Calhoun Street was struck by another car. The police car then jumped a sidewalk and stuck Peters, then 16, breaking his pelvis.
Yesterday's slaying was Trenton's 18th homicide of the year.

Four teens were arrested Saturday evening in DeKalb County after a drive-by shooting

Four teens were arrested Saturday evening in DeKalb County after a drive-by shooting near a skating rink, police said.A 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg and taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
The teens were riding in a black Honda Civic just after 6 p.m. when they pulled up to a bus stop in the 2700 block of Wesley Chapel Road, DeKalb police spokeswoman Keisha Williams said.They shot at another group of teens — including the victim — and then drove off, Williams said.Officers in a police helicopter soon spotted the car in the Autumn Lake neighborhood and saw four persons fleeing the vehicle, police said.Within an hour, Williams said, police captured two of the suspects on a nearby road. The other two were arrested in a house.The four youths, all juveniles, were charged with aggravated assault, Williams said. Police discovered their car had been stolen from the Virginia Highlands area, she said.The victim’s name was not released. The four suspects were not identified because they are minors. The case remained under investigation late Saturday night, but police believe the assailants knew the victim and the other teens at the bus stop, Williams said.

Police in Avondale were searching for suspects in a drive-by shooting that left two men injured Saturday night.

Police in Avondale were searching for suspects in a drive-by shooting that left two men injured Saturday night.It happened near 111th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road.
Police say a car drove past a home and two or three suspects inside fired several rounds.Two adult men were hit but are expected to be OK.Police say the car was involved in another shooting a few blocks away a few minutes before. No one at that location was injured.Police say they don't have a very good description of the vehicle.

Salinas police arrested Pedro Coyt and recovered evidence, including a gun believed to have been used in the shooting.

Salinas police arrested Pedro Coyt, 34, in the 600 block of Countryside Drive at 11:22 p.m. and recovered evidence, including a gun believed to have been used in the shooting. Coyt was charged with shooting at an inhabited dwelling and possession of a loaded and concealed firearm. Search leads to man's arrest for drugs, guns
A search of a Salinas residence in the 700 block of Archer Street led to the arrest of the resident on suspicion of drug and firearm violations. Salinas police went to the house looking for Gerardo Yanez, 23, who was wanted on outstanding warrants. When officers searched the residence they found cocaine, gang indicia and several thousand dollars in cash. Yanez was lodged in Monterey County Jail on a variety of gang-related drug and firearms charges.