Greenville forms youth crimes and gangs task force

GREENVILLE, NC (AP) — Greenville’s police chief has formed a youth crimes and gangs task force as one response to recent violence involving East Carolina University students at apartment complexes.

The Greenville Daily Reflector reported the Dec. 4 shooting death of 18-year-old Demetrius Lamar Boone is the most recent of such violence. Another man was stabbed in the same incident.

The task force formed by Chief William Anderson is made up of law enforcement agencies in Pitt County. It will coordinate gang information and make arrests for gang-related crimes a countywide operation.

The university doesn’t have a formal agreement with the privately owned off-campus apartments allowing campus police to patrol at those complexes. ECU officials say they’ve talking with police about extending campus jurisdiction, and the apartment complexes are included in those talks.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)