Latest news with #Accord
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘It's complete': Officials detail ‘chilling sequence' prior to fatal shooting
A day after ShotSpotter detected 18 gunshots in seven seconds and police found a man fatally shot, a chilling text message was sent: 'It's complete.' Three men have now been charged in connection with the Feb. 4 death of 33-year-old Mauricio Lawrence on Tennis Road in Mattapan. At about 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, ShotSpotter detected 18 gunshots near 35 Tennis Road. Boston police responded and found Lawrence had multiple gunshot wounds. He died while being taken by Boston EMS to Boston Medical Center. Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the case is a 'chilling sequence of calculated actions.' About six hours before the shooting, video surveillance shows Jair Meeks, 24, entering Lawrence's place of work to record him while two others waited nearby in a Honda Accord. Once back in the car, the car's dash cam recorded Meek tell Shovan Darby, 29, of East Weymouth, and Roberto Taylor, 29, of Dorchester, what to do leading up to the shooting, the district attorney's office said. This included telling them to 'wrap [the gun] up in a bag' to 'try to catch the shells,' to put different tire rims on the Accord to alter its appearance and to use special tape to cover the license plate to make the vehicle harder to detect. Darby and Taylor followed Lawrence in the Accord when he left work, officials said. As Lawrence neared his apartment door, Taylor approached from behind and fired, officials added. Taylor returned to the car and, with Darby driving, fled the area. 'It's complete,' Darby sent Meeks in a text the next morning. 'This case presents a chilling sequence of calculated actions. It also provides an excellent example of investigators pursuing a criminal incident until every person who played a role is identified and brought forward to answer for their conduct,' Hayden said in a press release. Meeks was charged in Suffolk Superior Court with one count of accessory before the fact. He was ordered held without bail. Darby and Taylor were charged in Suffolk Superior Court with first-degree murder on May 8. Meeks, Darby, and Taylor are all due back in Suffolk Superior on June 17 for pre-trial hearings. Here's how long you can get Dunkin's new Pink Spritz refresher for just $3 Scammer told her to withdraw $20K and stop talking to her family — so she did Mass. firefighter arrested at work in connection with child sex abuse materials Mass. casino winner: Slots player bet $1.80 on jackpot spin Community Preservation Committee to hold informational meeting Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
Third man charged in February Mattapan death, allegedly helped coordinate fatal shooting
Darby and Taylor were both charged with first-degree murder in Suffolk Superior Court on May 8. All three men are due back in court on June 17 for pre-trial hearings, the statement said. Surveillance footage from the evening before the shooting captured Meeks arriving at Lawrence's workplace to film him, while Darby and Taylor waited nearby in a Honda Accord, the statement said. Hours later, when Lawrence left work, Darby and Taylor followed him home, and dash-cam audio from their car recorded Meeks giving instructions on how to proceed with the shooting, according to the statement. Advertisement He told them to 'wrap [the gun] up in a bag' to contain shell casings, switch the Accord's rims to alter its appearance, and cover disguise the license plate with special tape, the statement said. Just before 11:30 p.m., as Lawrence approached his apartment door, Taylor came up from behind and shot him. ShotSpotter technology recorded 18 gunshots fired in seven seconds, according to the statement. Taylor then returned to the car, and the pair fled the scene, Darby behind the wheel. Advertisement Responding officers found Lawrence suffering multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead while being taken by ambulance to Boston Medical Center, the statement said. The following morning, Darby allegedly texted Meeks, 'it's complete.' 'This case presents a chilling sequence of calculated actions,' said District Attorney Kevin Hayden in the statement. 'It also provides an excellent example of investigators pursuing a criminal incident until every person who played a role is identified and brought forward to answer for their conduct.' Meeks' attorney, Anthony R. Ellison, didn't immediately respond to the Globe's request for comment Thursday night. Rita Chandler can be reached at
American Military News
6 days ago
- American Military News
Father handed gun to son in alleged drive-by gang killing, LAPD says
LOS ANGELES — On a Monday night in February, police say, Roberto Martinez took his 14-year-old son in the Pico-Union neighborhood on a graffiti spree. With a can of yellow spray paint, they marked the facades of a pawn shop, laundromat and furniture store with the names of their gangs, according to a a Los Angeles Police Department detective wrote in a search warrant affidavit. Driving down Normandie Avenue, Martinez and his son came across Kevin Rivera, who was crossing the street, the affidavit says. The muzzle of a handgun poked out from their car's passenger window, a witness told police. Martinez's son squeezed the trigger five times, shooting Rivera to death and wounding two others, the detective wrote in the affidavit. Martinez, 43, and his son are charged with murdering Rivera, whom Martinez believed to belong to a rival gang, the detective wrote in the affidavit. Martinez has pleaded not guilty. A lawyer who represented Martinez at his arraignment directed questions to the Los Angeles County public defender's media representatives, who didn't respond to a request for comment. It wasn't clear who was representing Martinez's son, whose case isn't public because of his age. Some gang members follow in the footsteps of fathers, uncles or brothers, but it's rare to see an older relative direct them to commit violence, a former gang member said. Ramon Mendoza, who once belonged to the Varrio Nuevo Estrada street gang and Mexican Mafia prison gang, said many gangsters don't want to bring their kids into a lifestyle that often leads to death or prison. 'The hardcore gang members, they seek for the most part to insulate the innocents, their family, from what they are,' Mendoza said. But in some rare cases, he said, 'rather than deter and discourage their kids, in some sick way they look at (violence) as a kind of bonding event.' Martinez has been in and out of prison since 2005 for possessing drugs and guns, according to court records. Nicknamed 'Stranger,' he is a member of a Hollywood gang called The Magicians' Club, or TMC, Detective James Ball of the Los Angeles Police Department wrote in the affidavit. The evening of Feb. 10, Martinez and his son were recorded by surveillance cameras tagging a stretch of Venice and Pico boulevards, Ball wrote. Police found scrawled on the side of a business 'TMC' and 'Hellbound.' A small crew based in the Koreatown and Mid-City neighborhoods, Hellbound is a rival of a more established gang called the Playboys, Ball wrote. Surveillance footage showed Martinez's son and his friends tagging a laundromat while the father flashed gang signs at passing cars, the detective wrote. According to the affidavit, the group piled into a black Honda Accord and traveled to Pico Boulevard and Fedora Avenue, the heart of the Playboys' territory. In yellow paint, they wrote 'Hellbound' and 'PBSK' — short for Playboys Killers, Ball wrote. About four blocks away, Rivera, 30, was walking down Normandie Avenue. The Accord drove past him, then made a U-turn, a witness told detectives. A suspect wearing a hooded sweatshirt — believed by police to be Martinez's son — fired out of the rear passenger window. Rivera was fatally shot in the back. A man crossing the street was struck in the hip and a woman sitting in her car was grazed by a bullet, according to the affidavit. Six days later, a prisoner called Martinez, who mentioned a shooting in the recorded call, Ball wrote. 'Four people got dropped and one died,' Martinez said, according to the detective. The victim was from Playboys, Martinez added. Rivera's family couldn't be reached for comment. 'My son did what he had to do, dog,' Martinez said in the recorded call, according to the affidavit. 'Honestly I tried to stop him. I tried to grab the gun.' Detectives allege this wasn't true. Ball wrote that Martinez handed his son the .40-caliber Glock used to kill Rivera. Two days after Martinez was arrested on suspicion of Rivera's murder, LAPD officers in Wilmington detained a man who was driving a Dodge pickup stolen during a home invasion robbery in Perris, Ball wrote. Antonio Alvarez had allegedly tossed a stolen .40-caliber Glock during the pursuit. Ballistics testing showed the gun was used to kill Rivera, the affidavit says. WhatsApp messages on Alvarez's phone showed he bought the Glock for $800 five days after Rivera was shot to death, Ball wrote. The sale was coordinated by someone using a phone that pinged off a cell tower near Centinela State Prison, according to the affidavit. Ball wrote he is still investigating who brokered the sale. ©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Father handed gun to son in alleged drive-by gang killing, LAPD says
On a Monday night in February, police say, Roberto Martinez took his 14-year-old son in the Pico-Union neighborhood on a graffiti spree. With a can of yellow spray paint, they marked the facades of a pawn shop, laundromat and furniture store with the names of their gangs, according to a a Los Angeles Police Department detective wrote in a search warrant affidavit. Driving down Normandie Avenue, Martinez and his son came across Kevin Rivera, who was crossing the street, the affidavit says. The muzzle of a handgun poked out from their car's passenger window, a witness told police. Martinez's son squeezed the trigger five times, shooting Rivera to death and wounding two others, the detective wrote in the affidavit. Martinez, 43, and his son are charged with murdering Rivera, whom Martinez believed to belong to a rival gang, the detective wrote in the affidavit. Martinez has pleaded not guilty. A lawyer who represented Martinez at his arraignment directed questions to the Los Angeles County public defender's media representatives, who didn't respond to a request for comment. It wasn't clear who was representing Martinez's son, whose case isn't public because of his age. Some gang members follow in the footsteps of fathers, uncles or brothers, but it's rare to see an older relative direct them to commit violence, a former gang member said. Ramon Mendoza, who once belonged to the Varrio Nuevo Estrada street gang and Mexican Mafia prison gang, said many gangsters don't want to bring their kids into a lifestyle that often leads to death or prison. 'The hardcore gang members, they seek for the most part to insulate the innocents, their family, from what they are,' Mendoza said. But in some rare cases, he said, 'rather than deter and discourage their kids, in some sick way they look at [violence] as a kind of bonding event.' Martinez has been in and out of prison since 2005 for possessing drugs and guns, according to court records. Nicknamed 'Stranger,' he is a member of a Hollywood gang called The Magicians' Club, or TMC, Det. James Ball of the Los Angeles Police Department wrote in the affidavit. The evening of Feb. 10, Martinez and his son were recorded by surveillance cameras tagging a stretch of Venice and Pico boulevards, Ball wrote. Police found scrawled on the side of a business 'TMC' and 'Hellbound.' A small crew based in the Koreatown and Mid-City neighborhoods, Hellbound is a rival of a more established gang called the Playboys, Ball wrote. Surveillance footage showed Martinez's son and his friends tagging a laundromat while the father flashed gang signs at passing cars, the detective wrote. According to the affidavit, the group piled into a black Honda Accord and traveled to Pico Boulevard and Fedora Avenue, the heart of the Playboys' territory. In yellow paint, they wrote 'Hellbound' and 'PBSK' — short for Playboys Killers, Ball wrote. About four blocks away, Rivera, 30, was walking down Normandie Avenue. The Accord drove past him, then made a U-turn, a witness told detectives. A suspect wearing a hooded sweatshirt — believed by police to be Martinez's son — fired out of the rear passenger window. Rivera was fatally shot in the back. A man crossing the street was struck in the hip and a woman sitting in her car was grazed by a bullet, according to the affidavit. Six days later, a prisoner called Martinez, who mentioned a shooting in the recorded call, Ball wrote. 'Four people got dropped and one died,' Martinez said, according to the detective. The victim was from Playboys, Martinez added. Rivera's family couldn't be reached for comment. 'My son did what he had to do, dog,' Martinez said in the recorded call, according to the affidavit. 'Honestly I tried to stop him. I tried to grab the gun.' Detectives allege this wasn't true. Ball wrote that Martinez handed his son the .40-caliber Glock used to kill Rivera. Two days after Martinez was arrested on suspicion of Rivera's murder, LAPD officers in Wilmington detained a man who was driving a Dodge pickup stolen during a home invasion robbery in Perris, Ball wrote. Antonio Alvarez had allegedly tossed a stolen .40-caliber Glock during the pursuit. Ballistics testing showed the gun was used to kill Rivera, the affidavit says. WhatsApp messages on Alvarez's phone showed he bought the Glock for $800 five days after Rivera was shot to death, Ball wrote. The sale was coordinated by someone using a phone that pinged off a cell tower near Centinela State Prison, according to the affidavit. Ball wrote he is still investigating who brokered the sale.
Scotsman
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Mansion House Accord could change face of pension investments
Tom Barton says funds will still need to balance investment and risk after commitment to place assets in private markets Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The UK's largest pension funds have pledged to invest at least 10 per cent of their assets in private markets by 2030, but managing investment and fiduciary risk will continue to be a delicate balance under a new accord. Seventeen workplace pension providers have signed up to the voluntary initiative, known as the Mansion House Accord, which commits signatories to investing at least 10 per cent of their defined contribution (DC) default funds in private markets by 2030, with at least 5 per cent of the total going to investment in the UK. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Accord builds on the Mansion House Compact, which was launched in 2023 under the previous Conservative government, and saw 11 pension funds committing to investing 5 per cent of their DC default funds in unlisted companies by 2030, but with no stipulation to keep the investments in the UK. The Treasury expects the deal to unlock up to £50bn of investment for UK businesses (Picture: John Devlin) The Treasury expects the deal to unlock up to £50 billion of investment for UK businesses, major infrastructure projects and clean energy developments, with around £25bn expected to be released directly into the UK economy over the next decade. The Accord has been jointly led by the Association of British Insurers, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association and the City of London Corporation. Signatories to the new agreement include: Aegon UK, Aon, Aviva, Legal & General, LifeSight, M&G, Mercer, NatWest Cushon, Nest, Now Pensions, Phoenix Group, Royal London, Smart Pension, the People's Pension, SEI, TPT Retirement Solutions and the Universities Superannuation Scheme. For those providers already signed up to the Mansion House Compact, the government has said progress under that accord will count towards meeting the new accord's goals. There have been reports that the Government may introduce legislation that would eventually require all pension funds to sign up to the new commitments. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The agreement marks a significant development for the sector with a large part of the DC provider and master trust world now on board with the idea of minimum allocations to private markets outside of any formal legal framework. Tom Barton, Partner and pensions specialist at Pinsent Masons Delivering on the Accord remains subject to various factors, including fiduciary duty, consumer duty and the Government facilitating access to a suitable pipeline of investment opportunities. In many respects, success hinges on the creation and sourcing of suitable investable opportunities and investment advisers have a part to play in this. The Government has a part to play too. As part of its side of the bargain, it also needs to deliver a sensible framework on value for money, scale and consolidation – taking account of weaknesses and issues flushed out through the consultation. This is a delicate balance. Whatever the case, the Government has expressly stated that progress against the new commitment would be 'monitored and the initiative will be reinforced by measures to be announced in the upcoming final report of the pensions investment review'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Government's highly anticipated pensions investment review is expected to be published this spring, and it may yet move this commitment on to a mandatory footing.
