18657: (Hermantin) Miami-Herald-Rivalry feared in drive-by Boynton Beach shootings (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Rivalry feared in drive-by Boynton Beach shootings

By Leon Fooksman
Staff Writer
Posted February 15 2004

BOYNTON BEACH · When Kason St Fort heard about Friday's deadly drive-by
shootings in a working-class, north-side neighborhood, he wondered if it was
somehow related to simmering tensions between black and Haitian youths.

"You'd see them fighting in schools and on buses," said the 20-year-old who
lives on Northeast 20th Avenue, about six blocks away from where a
21-year-old man was killed and three others were left severely injured.
"That's all you ever hear about. Black kids and Haitian kids fighting."

Some residents and merchants in the neighborhood around Seacrest and Gateway
boulevards feared the same thing Saturday as they came to terms with the
shootings on Northeast Fourth Street, near Rolling Green Park.

Police said they have not made arrests in connection with the shootings but
acknowledged that among the leads they are investigating is a theory that
the shootings were related to a rivalry between black and Haitian youths.

They said they are also pursuing the possibility that it was over a spat
involving a girlfriend or car racing.

"It's all still speculation," said police Lt. Wendy Unger.

Police are searching for at least three assailants who fired shots at the
four men at about 4:35 p.m., then fled the area in a black sport-utility
vehicle.

Sharod Wilson, 21, of Northwest 28th Avenue, was killed. The injured were:
Harold Yazell, 32, of Northeast Fourth Street, who was hit in the back;
Marcus Smith, 18, of Northeast 27th Avenue, who was shot in the back and
arm; and William Chris Hayes, 21, of Northwest First Street, who was shot in
the back and buttocks.

They were hit as they stood on a sidewalk tending to Wilson's car, police
said. The injured are being treated at Delray Medical Center and are
expected to live, Unger said. Witnesses told police that there might have
been a fight among the victims and assailants the night before the
shootings. They also said that at least one of the weapons used in the
shootings was a shotgun.

Unger said police have not noticed an upswing in violence between rival
black and Haitian groups. Still, if the investigation finds that there are
indeed serious tensions, police officers will address it, she said.

Mayor Jeff Taylor said city staff will monitor the police investigation and
offer whatever assistance is necessary to prevent further violence.

"We'll be very sensitive to those issues," Taylor said.

Commissioner Mack McCray, whose district includes the site of the shootings,
said he too is awaiting information from police. But if evidence points to a
rivalry, he said, he would want black and Haitian leaders in the
neighborhood and possibly the schools to work with youths in resolving
problems.

Laura Normel, a 19-year-old who regularly visits her mother's store on
Seacrest Boulevard, said it's mostly black and Haitian males between the
ages of 16 and 28 who fight amongst each other.

Normel, who said she went to school with many of the troublemakers, said the
squabbles start over small matters and quickly escalate. Then, the fighting
turns into a continuous cycle of retaliations, she added.

But really, at the heart of the problems are social and cultural differences
between the two groups, she said.

"Many just don't get along," she said.

Members of Wilson's family Friday night were quick to blame the shootings on
possible tension in the neighborhood. On Saturday, residents continued to
speculate about what would cause someone to shoot a group of men. Some
brought flowers and balloons to the makeshift memorial where the men were
gunned down.

Kala Robinson, 20, who lives next door to the memorial, said she knew the
men who were shot. She saw them hanging out listening to music and fixing
cars. Unlike some others, she doubted the shootings were part of a feud
between blacks and Haitians. The reason: several Haitians would routinely
hang around with the men who were shot.

"Whatever caused it, I just hope it's over," she said.

Leon Fooksman can be reached at lfooksman@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6647.

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