One unfortunate day marked the death of Omari Wilson. By the end of that week, signs of tribute to him, including graffiti tagged with his name, began to multiply in Harrisburg city. Wilson’s name was noted near the site of his demise, marked along a wall coupled with a spray-painted heart symbol, and the sidewalk bore the words ‘Omari ville.’ In Harrisburg, homicide sites often become spontaneous murals painted in memory of those lost, but once graffiti bears the hint of gang insignia and taunts against rival factions, it implies that the murder may be linked to gang-related conflicts.
Annually, several killings in the city have suspected connections to gang activity, with a minimum of five such incidents registered in the preceding year, and the recent demise of Wilson is believed to follow a similar pattern. Teriq Coleman and Aaron Hurtt, both in their early twenties, reportedly ambushed Wilson on their claimed area close to the intersection of North Fourth and Muench streets. The local gang task force had earlier identified both men as being part of the same gang.
Despite Wilson being associated with friends linked to an opposing gang, the exact motive behind him being chosen as a target remains an enigma. The gang task force, over the years, has acted on a necessity-based model, liaising due to needs rather than a steady mandate. However, law enforcement assures that gang-related activities never falter within the city limits. Recognising the severe nature of these activities, officials recently felt the necessity of appointing two full time detectives dedicated towards monitoring and proactively intervening in gang-related matters.
In the most fresh incident of homicide linked to such activities, Coleman was spotted gesturing instructions to Hurtt and an unidentified man, signalling them to approach Wilson. This interaction was observed on the porch of a Muench Street property on the evening when Wilson was attacked. Wilson was shot multiple times in the legs by the assailants, after which Coleman discharged all his remaining bullets into the already injured Wilson, as stated in an affidavit of probable cause.
In investigations conducted by the District Attorney’s department, Coleman and Hurtt were identified as active members of the Green Street Boyz gang. Their gang’s namesake, Green Street, is situated a mere four blocks from the fatal attack on Wilson. Incidents of homicide wherein gang participants are involved commonly incite a cycle of retributive violence, leading to further casualties, with even innocent bystanders falling victim to such escalations.
Following Wilson’s brutal end, there was an immediate surge of online mockery. A poignant Facebook post exhibited a photograph of the graffiti in Wilson’s honor, captioned with profane language directed against Green Street. The exact count of gang units functioning within Dauphin County stays elusive, primarily due to their mutable names and shifting group loyalties.
Though Wilson himself was not recognized as an official member of any gang, connections have been traced between him and several acquaintances known to bear gang affiliations, who previously lost their lives in similar shootouts within Harrisburg. So far in the current year, Wilson’s murder marked the fourth homicide within the city, with both preceding incidents displaying suspected involvement of gang elements.
Recently, in March, the law enforcement machinery in Harrisburg reinforced its arsenal by inducting two full-time detectives specializing in gang activity investigation. This induction was part of a broader initiative to equip the Dauphin County’s Violent Crime Unit ahead of the advent of warmer months, which generally correspond to a spike in criminal incidents. This is the county’s first attempt to designate officers with the exclusive duty of monitoring and probing gang activities.
The creation of the dedicated gang task force in Dauphin County dates back to 2009. ‘We’re strategizing to step into a proactive role instead of always having to react to situations as they arise,’ states Colin Zwally, the Deputy District Attorney of Dauphin County. In 2024, Harrisburg witnessed an unprecedented surge in homicides reaching a total of 23 cases, many amongst them implicated to gang-related activities.
In some instances, despite the suspected involvement of gangs, the victims were simply innocent individuals caught in the crossfire, notably exemplified by the tragedy befalling a 13-year-old girl named Ny’Ryah Wright in August 2024. Her case remains unresolved. The collaborative body of the task force assists local police branches in investigating unsolved cases by way of providing additional resources for serving search warrants and identification of suspects, along with any other support required in building a criminal case.
Affiliates from nearly every police department in Dauphin County, including the State Police and the Attorney General’s Office, contribute their services to the gang task force. Other contributors to the task force include the Department of Corrections, state parole agencies, Dauphin county probation departments, and federal entities such as the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Collaborating with county probation officers, law enforcement has managed to accuse Carlos Garcia, a 19-year old man, of armed robbery and attempted murder. The incident happened outside a convenience store at Fourth and Woodbine Street, as per Sgt. Shelby Day from CID. In addition, the task force coordinated with Steelton police to interrogate and subsequently charge 17-year-old Tymire Gibson with attempted murder related to a shooting incident in March on Lincoln Street.
The joint collaborative efforts of county officials played a crucial part in helping local police tag Nyshaun Crankfield, another 17-year-old, as the principal suspect behind a shooting incident outside Steele Elementary School in the previous month, while students were present there. The gang task force continues its mission under the banner of the county’s Violent Crime Unit, sharing space with the drug task force and interdiction unit, a group of uniformed officers trained specially to pick up on signs indicating elevated possibilities of criminal activities during patrols.
Within the two months since February alone, the contributions of the Violent Crime Unit have led to confiscation of 32 firearms and a total of 81 arrests has been made. ‘Public reassurance of police presence on the street is crucial in deterring crimes from happening in the first place,’ opines Zwally. With hopes of acquiring the trust, and consequently the cooperation, of the local community, plans are afoot to introduce members of the Violal Crime Unit into local events. Community members often play an invaluable role in any investigation by providing tips that can lead to arrests.
The core aim of these initiatives is to replace the existing perception of badges with an image of fellow humans working to serve the community. The plan moving forward involves working in close collaboration with city officials, leveraging resources of an ongoing grant-funded program known as the Group Violence Intervention (GVI). GVI targets individuals who are responsible for a significant share of violent crime. The program provides these individuals with resources to help them renounce violent behavior, with the alternative being stricter legal action.
The GVI program’s track record includes successful reduction of violent crimes in various U.S. cities like York. Under this initiative, county officials will focus on those who reject the resources offered through GVI, and they will connect individuals willing to accept help with the GVI team. Notably, the precedent of working towards establishing a gang task force in central Pennsylvania is rare, with other counties considering the move only if Dauphin County’s efforts are reported to bear fruit.
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