Missoula Police are asking for community support in stopping the spread of teen gang activity, according to a press release published earlier this week.
The press release, which urged parents and guardians to monitor their children’s social media for gang involvement or posts with weapons or threats of violence, was posted on the department Facebook page a few days after an alleged teen gang incident involving a stolen car and gunshots, the press release said. No one was injured.
On Sunday, February 2 at about 1:56 a.m., Missoula Police received 911 calls reporting gunshots around Ernest Ave and South Russell Street, the press release said. The 911 callers believed the gunshots were coming from a suspicious truck seen fleeing the area. Police were able to locate the vehicle and its occupants, the press release said, and they were all under 18 years old.
Missoula Police detained the occupants of the vehicle and determined that the vehicle was stolen. According to the press release, the juveniles “were suspected to be gang members,” and the shooting confirmed an ongoing turf war between two rival gangs, as “some of the juveniles in the stolen car had been displaying gang hand-signs.”
As a result of the shooting incident, the press release says one teen was arrested for two felonies: theft for the alleged stealing of the vehicle and criminal endangerment for firing the handgun. Another was arrested for a probation violation.
“This case has been referred for prosecution and it continues to be actively investigated. Further charges may be referred for prosecution as new information and evidence is discovered through this investigation,” the press release states. “While thankfully no one was injured in this very serious incident, the Missoula Police Department asks for the community’s assistance in preventing further incidents of this type.”
According to Big Sky’s school resource officer Christian Cameron, Missoula Police have seen an uptick in teen gang activity over the first few months of this school year compared to the last. He said there had been a little bit of juvenile gang activity last year, but “not to the extent we have seen in the last six months.”
Cameron stated that Sentinel is the school that has seen the majority of gang activity, however, both Hellgate and Big Sky, have a “sprinkle” of students who are suspected of gang activity. Officer Cameron also concluded that a school announcement should be coming soon.
Big Sky staff have also noticed the uptick in gang activity, though not at the school. An adult member of Big Sky who has asked to remain anonymous due to uncertainties of gang affiliation spreading to Big Sky said one of the crews tagged “South-Side Bloods” in their neighborhood. The adult alleges that the gang activity in their neighborhood began in September and escalated in early January when property was tagged. The adult said that they and all of their neighbors have gotten security cameras in response to the gang activity.
The statement released by the police department stated that apps such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snapchat tend to incentivize and glamorize the involvement of gang activities.
The report also stated that in the Feb. 2 incident, juveniles gained access to firearms and used them for criminal purposes. According to the department, “these firearms are most commonly taken from a member of their household or stolen from a vehicle.” Officer Cameron added, “a lot of people keep guns in their vehicles, and you’ll get car prowlers at night that break into vehicles and gain access to firearms.” The report advises that people store firearms from unauthorized access and “never store a firearm in a parked vehicle.”
As Missoula Police continue to investigate this case and monitor teen gang activity, the department is ‘encouraging’ anyone with information about Missoula gang violence to contact Crimestoppers (406-721-44440) or the Missoula Police Department (406-552-6300).
