‘Disorganized crime’: When gun violence turns friends into enemies

They were childhood friends. Now one is buried and the other is in jail charged with first-degree murder.

It's not a good feeling to know that, that's a child that grew up with my child and my other children," says Andrea Bond.

Her 17-year-old son Keden was killed Aug. 6 when he, his brother and uncle were shot in a Mud Street West parking lot. It was still daylight, around 7:30 p.m., when two suspects fired at them while they were out looking to get a bite to eat.

The young man charged with his murder would come over to her house when the boys were kids.

Come over, hang out, play video games, spend the night, meet my son at the park, play basketball with him, only to hear that ... it's disgusting, it's disappointing," she says. And it's really unfortunate because Keden was a really good boy."

Andrea doesn't say his name. But she's talking about the teen charged with killing her son.

Trayonte Eccleston, 19, is charged with first-degree murder in Keden's death. He's also among several charged with first-degree murder in another brazen, daytime shooting that took the life of Sabir Omer on Sept. 14.

In October, Det. Sgt. Jim Callender of the Hamilton police major crime unit, announced the two murders were connected. Everyone involved seemed to know each other.

Andrea doesn't know Omer, but says she finds herself on the same side as his family - the losing side" - grieving young men with their whole lives ahead of them. She hadn't seen Eccleston in years, since the boys went separate ways in high school and the Bond family moved to Stoney Creek.

You know, I'm not on that side where those parents are right now with their child being in jail," she said. But I am on this side, I'm on the losing side, and I just wish that these kids would think before they do this stuff because it's irreversible."

Police have said more people were involved in the shooting that killed Keden and hurt his older brother and uncle. More arrests and charges are likely, they say.

Andrea says she has faith in the detectives.

I know there will be justice for my son in all aspects," she says.

But she's also afraid, not just because there are still suspects and weapons at large, but because she wonders if she'll recognize other names.

These shootings follow a dangerous and distressing pattern in Hamilton and beyond of what happens when impulsive young men carry guns.

Experts say it's common to see young men, often teens, who are friends one day and enemies the next. The crimes and their consequences are not well thought out, but the ripple effect of these shootings can swallow families, friends and whole communities.

There have been 27 shootings so far this year in Hamilton. This includes 15 victims shot, six who have died.

Six of the shootings, including three fatal ones, happened in a 21-day span in September. Half a dozen of the shootings this year have been during daylight hours, in busy areas with a high risk of innocent bystanders being struck - even though the shootings were targeted.

Every and all shooting is serious regardless of who's involved," said Sgt. Mario Rizzo of the Hamilton police gang and weapons enforcement unit.

When shootings happen, police throw all their resources at the investigations, he says. What they're finding is concerning: more guns on Hamilton streets and more youth with easy access to those weapons.

Rizzo, speaking generally and not about any particular case, says detectives are finding that young people are accessing firearms easily and often there is one gun shared among a group. They see the same guns used in more than one shooting.

In many of the cases, particularly shootings happening in broad daylight and public spaces, the shootings are tied to what Rizzo calls disorganized crime."

These are not the street gangs people see on television where there is structure, hierarchy and an allegiance to a particular group for life. Sometimes the groups in Hamilton give themselves names, but they often change and they are very fluid.

Within a week we've seen a handful of names pop up and all dissolved," he said.

Much of the violence is tied to drug sales. Police also see petty beefs and retaliatory violence as motives.

Rizzo says police rely on members of the community to come forward and share information - that's how they gather intelligence, solve crimes and prevent more shootings by taking guns off the streets.

Guns can be sourced locally, including legally purchased guns that are stolen or disappear." There have also been reports of guns being made with 3D printers, although Hamilton police could not recall such an instance here.

Travel and border restrictions during the pandemic did nothing to slow the flow of guns - not one bit," Rizzo said.

It appears easier than ever for young people to get guns. Hamilton police have found guns concealed on people, hidden in baby clothes, strollers and baby seats.

Last year, Hamilton police seized 80 guns, including 42 handguns and 35 long guns. Numbers for 2021 are not yet available.

But police are only a part of the solution in fighting gun crime. Many of those involved are vulnerable Hamilton kids, so other agencies have a role to play.

The John Howard Society of Hamilton, Burlington and Area works with the most vulnerable young people in the community, offering supports for people who are in jail or have been charged, as well as in schools or other voluntary programs for at-risk youth.

Ideally, John Howard staff work proactively to prevent violence and other crises by supporting youths and their families, said Donna de Jong, local acting executive director. But when the worst-case scenarios happen - such as a fatal shooting - they know there is a huge ripple effect.

It's like throwing a pebble in a puddle," de Jong says.

It's not just the young people involved, but their friends and families and the community as a whole.

John Howard used to run a program called Youth at Risk Development (YARD) to support youth involved with or at risk of becoming involved with the gang lifestyle.

It began in 2013 and was lauded as being significantly successful. However, the five-year funding deal from the province was never renewed.

In September 2018, it morphed into the Youth Navigation Program, which offers some - but not all - of the programs offered by YARD with a fraction of the staff. At this time, it's funded through the Hamilton Community Foundation and a community safety and policing grant, but de Jong said funding changes and they always have to be creative with how they cover costs.

The youth participants come there voluntarily. Programming looks at everything from healthy relationships to goal-setting to breaking down elements of risk.

We do a lot of work with elementary schools to try to prepare them, teach them a little bit about what risk looks like," she said. That's because kids often get involved in criminal lifestyles as young as grades 6 to 8 - sometimes even younger.

Kids often exhibit behavioural changes, such as skipping school, hanging out with older kids and changing how they dress and speak. They often become guarded. Sometimes the changes are subtle, she said.

Sometimes these kids have older family already involved in the lifestyle. Other times they are kids who don't have friends or are lacking supports at home.

If they're being recruited by older youth they're always looking for that vulnerability," de Jong says. Cracks in family, not a lot of friends, they're being picked on ... then older youth steps in and says we'll protect you, we'll be that piece you're missing."

A key component of such programs is trying to connect young people with their community. Some of the hardest cases she's seen are young people working to make changes, but not being supported at home.

And the need is great. The local John Howard works with 1,200 to 1,500 young people a year across all its youth justice programs.

Other organizations working with at-risk youth also report increased demand. Liberty For Youth, an organization that works with at-risk youth and where Keden Bond attended, has a wait list for services.

The argument I always make is if we support people while they're young it saves money down the road," de Jong said. We want all of our young people to feel included and feel in the community and to be positive contributors to that community."

The work prevents crimes and prevents having to pay to keep people incarcerated. But there is also the untold benefit of what these young people can contribute to our community if they are supported, she says.

For Keden Bond's mom, that is the hardest part. The 17-year-old was going to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become an electrician. She'll never see him married, never have grandchildren from him.

I'd give anything to have him back," she says.

She wants young people to understand the serious consequences of guns.

This is a real situation. It's real," she says. I don't wish this on anybody - a mom, dad, all the family members that are affected."

And for what reason? What do you gain by taking a life? Andrea asks. The young men committing these crimes are throwing their lives away too.

There has to be an opportunity to learn and change. She says she'd like to give back and help foster that change.

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com