Taylor's Alley Gang Leader, Arthur Young, killed in police custody

Arthur Young

There are still lingering questions over the killing of Arthur Young, who police believe murdered the other gang leader, Pinky Tillett on Friday night. Young evaded the long arms of the law for many years and more recently, he was attached to the Conscious Youth Development Programme. Young also surfaced as the leader of the Taylor's Alley affiliates in the recent stand-off with the Gang Suppression Unit. Immediately, after Tillett was killed on Friday night, there was word that Young had pulled the trigger. Then on Saturday, it was reported that Young was to hand himself over to the police. That did not happen and by this morning, he was dead. But there are more questions than answers. News Five's Andrea Polanco also has that story.

 

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Arthur Young, the leader of Taylor's Alley Gang was allegedly shot and killed in the pan of a police truck around mid-night on Sunday. According to police, Young resisted arrested and a scuffle ensued, whereby Young was fatally shot by a police officer. Young was wanted in connection with the murders of thirty-one year old Shelton "Pinky" August, leader of George Street Gang and twenty-three year old Kamille Andrews. According to police, they received information that Young was hiding in this abandoned house in Vista Del Mar:

Fitzroy Yearwood

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer

"We were looking for a suspect in connection with that double murder and it was confirmed that last night around 11:15, police received information of the suspect, one Arthur Young, the known leader of the Taylor's Alley Gang, was hiding in a house in Vista Del Mar. the house appeared to be abandoned. Police entered the house; found Mister Young in one of the rooms. He made an attempt to escape. He was apprehended and whilst he was being escorted to the Eastern Division Station on Queen Street, on his way there, he made another attempt this time to disarm a police officer that was in the back of the pickup with him-the pan of the pickup. A struggle ensued, the firearm went off and Mister Young was fatally injured."

 

The gas station where Tillett & Andrews were killed is fitted with surveillance cameras, and while police say they are using the images to help them serve the double murder, was Young positively identified in those images?

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood

"We have viewed a surveillance video. The content of it I will not disclose at this time, but yes we have viewed it."

But if Young was shot accidentally, the acting Commissioner was careful in offering no details of the accident:

David Henderson

David Henderson, Acting Commissioner of Police

"I must make it quite clear that matter is presently under investigation. I believe the police had sent out the details that is necessary and as soon as the investigation is concluded or any further details you will be fully briefed."

 

Jules Vasquez, 7 News

"You understand that the concerns of many persons I've spoken to this morning are somewhat skeptical and they feel intuitively and this is an opinion that it may be a state sponsored execution. How would you respond to a criticism such as that?"

 

David Henderson

"I will not speculate, I will not jump to any conclusion. The matter is under investigation. As soon as it is through, we will know the true facts and you will get whatever detail you need to get."

 

Jules Vasquez

"However sir, are you able to at least say if he was shot more than once or one time?"

 

David Henderson

"I have already made it quite clear that the matter is under investigation."

 

Young has a long history of run-ins with the law, dating back to early 2000. Over the last ten years he was in and out of the courts on a number of charges from murder to the possession of unlicensed firearm. He was one of two men charged with the August 2002 shooting death of Jose Chavarria on West Canal. After he was fingered in that murder, Young fled Belize for the U.S. that same year. He was deported back to Belize in October 2006; was remanded for a brief period, released and subsequently went into hiding. He was later acquitted of the murder on a nolle pros motion. A year later he was also named in the stabbing murder of Calvin Young in November of 2007; however, the case was thrown out in January 2010 after the key witness reportedly suffering temporary amnesia. But years later, Young would categorically state that kept away from ill-reputed groups:

Via Phone: Arthur Young, In Hiding [File: April 8th, 2010]

"I changed my last name at that time because people might hear my name and get kinda nervous and I don't like to go around saying my name because I don't really do things in public you know. I try my best to stay far away from these and other groups of peoples. I'm not active in the streets of giving no young boys nothing in no kind of way. When I talk to the youths it's gotta be positive. People know me in society, but the ones that don't know me think that I'm into just evilness and that's because they don't know my whereabouts. I chose to live privately and secret just so I don't get harassment. But every time the police force or whoever is behind this trying to bad mind me, I don't know if it's something personal which I never sent any threat to the police like that."

 

In April of 2010, Young was named as a person of interest after police had raided a house in Vista Del Mar where they found drugs and a lathe machine with a sound suppressor or silencer for weapons. An associate of Young, Errol Haynes, was found in the home. Whilst, Young wasn't present at the time of the search, documents belonging to him were discovered and he was wanted in connection with that incident. Whilst in hiding, Young had called News Five to say that he believed police wanted him dead:

Via Phone: Arthur Young, In Hiding [File: April 8th, 2010]

"I really fear for my life because they out to try and kill me. I even heard that couple weeks they had a meeting about me saying that wherever they find me, whatever, I know they got the job to do but they reach the point they are harassing me now. I really don't know where to turn to because nobody is on my side. And the way I move, I don't really go and tell this one and tell that one. But you know today I just sit down and say this is one of the best reason I need to bring it to the public also. For the truth, I didn't do anything wrong for them to try give me a charge I didn't know about."

Jose Sanchez

"At this point they say you are a person of interest because you rented the house. Does that bring any comfort to you?"

Via Phone: Arthur Young

"Well what I heard is that my name is on the charge sheet. If I'm a person of interest because I'm renting the house then my name should not be on the charge sheet. They went to the house and I heard that they found my old driver's license and my social card. So I'm saying maybe they are trying to put me there now because I heard couple weeks ago that whatever they can hold against me to send me to jail, do that. I don't know why these people are dealing with me like this."

Jose Sanchez

"So you don't know anything about the equipment used to make silencer for handguns or books on gun use and tactics?"

Via Phone: Arthur Young

"I don't know nothing about that. I don't know what they took out of the house. All I heard is that they went there and took Errol Haynes. I don't know the details of nothing. I'm not even there at the time when I heard that. I was somewhere far away from there."

Jose Sanchez

"At this point you don't intend to go to the police?"

Via Phone: Arthur Young

"I'm not, I'm in hiding because I fear my life with the police. So I'm in hiding, I already spoke to my attorney and got I some advice."

However, Young went into hiding. In May of that year he was caught at the Chetumal Airport after he attempted to board a flight enroute to Mexico City with a fake passport. He later walked free from those charges. Reporting for News Five, I'm Andrea Polanco.

 

While police report that Young was being harbored at a house in the Vista Del Mar area, which is owned by Robert Mariano, News Five today received a call from Mariano who says he has nothing to do with it. According to Mariano, he moved out months ago and now lives in the US.

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