6 Shooters Identified In North Beach Gang Shooting: Police

RACINE, WI — Several people were responsible for a gang-related shootout that injured five people at Racine's North Beach, and two of the accused shooters have been charged in court, authorities said. Police in Racine say a total of six shooters were identified by video surveillance in the incident.

According to court records, Thomas Burton, 17, and Dashari Watson, 18, have been charged with five counts of first-degree reckless injury, and one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety for their role in the shooting. They're both being held in the Racine County Jail on $150,000 cash bonds.

Racine police say reviewed video surveillance footage and identified a 20-year-old, a 16-year-old and two others as shooters, though they have yet to be charged according to court records.

In the June 2 shooting, five people suffered gunshot wounds: one person was grazed by a bullet on their head, a second suffered a gunshot wound to his lower back, another was shot in his foot, a fourth person was shot in the leg, and a fifth person suffered a gunshot wound to the chest that was considered life-threatening, investigators said.

The shootout happened between members of the Northside For Life and Dirty P Southside gangs, investigators said.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Racine County, members of the Dirty P gang came to North Beach just after 7 p.m. on June 2 after one of the members took his aunt's truck without permission and parked it near the Kid's Cove playground.

Investigators said members of the Northside For Life gang were standing near the playground and noticed the Dirty P's pull up. Police said several members of Northside For Life grabbed for their waistbands, as though they were armed.

According to the criminal complaint, the Dirty P's walked to the north end of the parking lot saw the Northside For Life gang members, and then turned back south, only to be followed by members of Northside for Life.

Investigators say the Dirty P's went back to the pickup truck when several members of the Northside For Life began kicking and damaging the truck. Police said one jumped up and down on the hood of the truck.

According to the criminal complaint, the driver of the truck lurched the truck forward, hitting a Jeep and sending the Jeep into a third vehicle.

Once the truck lurched forward, the shooting started, police said.

According to police, video surveillance showed Watson, who they say is a Northside For Life member, shooting toward the truck from the west. Burton, another member of the gang, was seen running west, and shooting back behind him at the truck, police said. A 20-year-old Northside For Life member was seen shooting from the hill west of the truck. A 16-year-old was the first to fire a gun at the scene, authorities said. Police said a fifth shooter was seen on the surveillance video, but couldn't be identified. A sixth shooter was later identified shooting back toward the truck and the Northside For Life gang members, police said.

According to police, multiple gunshots were fired at once, and police collected at least four different types of gun casings at the scene of the shooting.