MANATEE — Pastor Jerry Parrish counseled two young men trying to save them from a life of gangs, but the worst still happened: Irwin Figueroa and Rubin Gonzalez-Garduno, both 18, were gunned down on the streets of Manatee.
The slayings remain unsolved four months later, but detectives say they have strong leads as to who killed the men as they walked down 59th Avenue Drive East on July 3.
Parrish said he counseled and prayed with Figueroa and Gonzalez-Garduno, talking with them about where their lives were headed. They still died violently, proving to the community there is tough work ahead to eliminate gangs in Manatee, he said.
“They both had serious problems, but they didn’t get a second chance. It happens that fast,” Parrish said. “It is tragic, and it shows we have to keep fighting to save their little brothers, so this cycle doesn’t grab hold across generations. We have to fight to make sure these young men did not die in vain.”
Sheriff’s reports say a blue Mercury Grand Marquis pulled up behind them and gunfire erupted from the car.
“We believe this was gang-related,” said Manatee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dave Bristow. “Our investigation has shown the victims were involved in gangs. We are making a lot of progress in this case and feel this is one where arrests can be made.”
That has not always been the case in crimes associated with gangs, in which fear and feelings of loyalty often leave law enforcement without witnesses willing to come forward.
“In this case, we have actually had some help from the community, and that is a positive step,” Bristow said. That points to the possibility that residents are growing more prone to speak up about gang violence.
But, Bristow added, there is still a long way to go.
“I think we are making some progress. Our biggest problem is that cooperation still is not great,” he said. “It’s gotten better of late in terms of violent crime, but there are peaks and valleys as a shooting like this shows.”
Pastor Parrish works with a grassroots YMCA of Manatee County anti-gang initiative centered in Pride Park, an area hit hard by gangs in recent years. He, too, has seen progress, as the program has gained traction with mentor programs, religious counseling and help in finding job and educational opportunities for at-risk youths.
And Manatee County has been a ground zero of sorts in the fight against gangs that has been gathering steam among Florida law enforcement.
Authorities here were the first to bring gang members to justice in court using state racketeering laws — which allow the prosecution of someone based on their entire criminal past in order to prove it benefitted a gang — a strategy that is now being used across the state.
Officials have touted the racketeering convictions as a success, with dozens of gang members convicted.
But the racketeering prosecutions have not been without problems, as the conviction of reputed Manatee gang member Eric Santiago was recently overturned by a higher court, a ruling that is being appealed by the state.
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum’s office recently launched a Web site, www.floridagangreduction.com, which outlines the fight against gangs in Florida and offers tips on identifying gangs member, and gang prevention.
So far there have been more than 8,500 hits on the Web site, according to McCollum’s office.
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