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Residents ‘frightened’ after Adelphi murders
County police say triple homicide probably gang-related
Thursday, July 6, 2006

by Dennis Carter

Staff Writer

Adelphi residents said the community was on guard after Friday’s triple homicide in which witnesses heard gunmen yell ‘‘Mara Salvatrucha,” the formal name for the Salvadorian gang MS-13.

Just before midnight, three young men, Jesse Salvador, 20, of Hyattsville, Ruben Dominguez, 19 of Silver Spring and Juan Freddy Rosales-Mendes, 29 of Chantilly, Va. were shot and killed in a three-story brick apartment building in Adelphi.

A 21-year-old county resident, whose name is being withheld, is recovering from a gunshot wound in a local hospital, county police said.

According to police, four or five gunmen were involved in the shootings.

Linda Keenan, president of the Adelphi Hills Community Association, said she was shocked to hear about the homicides despite her neighborhood having an insurgence in gang graffiti in recent years.

Keenan said her neighbors noticed sneakers hanging from power lines in the neighborhood, which police said is a common way for gangs to mark their territory.

‘‘It’s a frightening thought to think that young people in our neighborhood could possibly be drawn into these activities,” Keenan said.

Gary Irby, an Adelphi resident since 1975, said he is disheartened that community members are fearful of the gangs in and around their neighborhoods.

‘‘This is no way for people to live,” he said. ‘‘This is theoretically a free country, and a gang shouldn’t be dictating how things are run.”

Even though county police have stepped up their presence in Adelphi since last summer, Irby said the community and local authorities should devise a tougher approach in the constant fight to expel gangs.

‘‘We need to do something a little bit more radical with these gangs because we don’t need to expose our youth to the members of MS-13,” Irby said. ‘‘I think [all MS-13 members] should be put away.”

State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey said it was critical to continue prosecution of the 22 MS-13 members arrested by local and state authorities since August 2005, in the hopes that information could be gathered to prevent future homicides.

‘‘The long-term investigative focus is very important,” Ivey said. ‘‘But certainly it’s a wake up call for all of us who are in law enforcement or in the community trying to reduce crime.”

Offering at-risk young people a different avenue, Ivey said, could also halt the violence.

‘‘We’ve got to have more intervention and prevention programs so we can reach out to these guys who are teetering on the brink,” he said.

Adelphi resident Gwyn Robson said the recent slayings could have a devastating long-term affect on the area by deterring people from buying homes in Adelphi neighborhoods.

‘‘The community needs to be more aware ... because I think that people might not want to buy into this area because they’re scared of what’s going on here,” she said.

Observing signs of gang activity, Robson said she knew MS-13 and other gangs were in the area, but before last week, she thought the problem had settled down.

‘‘I had no idea it was getting worse,” she said.

Some residents, like Pat Meyers, chairwoman of the Hillandale Gardens Citizens Association, said working closely with county police would be the only way to get gang members off nearby streets.

‘‘I think [the homicides] make us realize that we have to work cooperatively with the police,” Meyers said.

Cpl. Debbie Carlson, spokeswoman for the county police, said investigators need tips from community members regarding the possible MS-13 murders.

‘‘It was a warm evening and we know people were out and about that night,” Carlson said. ‘‘We need to receive those phone calls to say I heard this, I saw this or I suspect this.”

E-mail Dennis Carter at dcarter@gazette.net.