Out of the Shadows: Gangs of Wayne
By From staff reports
Published in News on December 10, 2016 9:05 PM
Full SizeRecently, the Goldsboro Police Department confirmed that it has over the last six months been able to identify and validate 254 gang members in the city alone.
Countless man hours, telephone conversations and emails later, Goldsboro News-Argus staff writer Ethan Smith was able to uncover local law enforcement and state data that shows Wayne County is home to what officials have said is a "higher-than-average" level of gang activity when compared to other North Carolina cities of similar size.
At any given moment, as many as 21 various gang sets ---- including those of nationally-recognized street gangs such as the Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and others ---- lay claim to carved out swaths of Goldsboro and the surrounding county, areas sometimes defended with violence and murder.
In his reporting, Smith also learned of the identity of a man local and federal authorities say is the state leader of the Gangster Disciples, a Chicago-based street gang with national recognition. Officials have since confirmed that individual was once a member of the United States Air Force and was stationed for a number of years at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base before being discharged from military service due to his alleged gang ties.
Later tonight, the Goldsboro News-Argus will publish to its web site, and in the Sunday paper, Smith's reporting on both the county-wide gang problem and an interview he and editors conducted with the former airman and alleged gang leader.