Two men were killed last night on the city southside within half a mile and half an hour of each other. Disturbingly, police believe the killings to have been a part of one dangerous criminal's way of just wilding out and taking target practice on the two men. The good news tonight is that the Crimes Investigation Branch has worked quickly to arrest and charge the man they believe is responsible for both killings. We've been following the story since last night and here is what happened.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
A pair of slippers and a bullet hole is all that was left at the corner of George and Bishop Streets where Charles Winston Castillo was last seen alive. Castillo was sitting on these steps sometime around 9:40 when a gunman approached him and fired at least six shots. Castillo took off running but before he could make it to Orange Street he fell when three bullets found their mark. His friends say they can't think of why anyone would shoot this 43 year old.
Friend,
"He is a very nice and willing person. He always did errands for us around here and stuff like that. We couldn't believe it when we heard that he got shot. We were shocked. The whole neighborhood was shocked about what happened to him."
Less than half an hour after that inexplicable shooting, almost the same story was repeated a couple blocks down on Dean Street. Shortly after 10 Eugene "witch" White was riding his bicycle towards Euphrates Avenue when someone approached him and opened fire hitting him twice.
Anthony Vargas,
"At about a little after ten I heard about two gunshots and when I looked outside I saw my uncle on the ground. A couple seconds after that people ran out and said that it was 'Witch.' They said he got shot in his chest and in his head. He was on a bike and the bike was under him when I looked outside. Further down the street, towards George Street, I heard about five more shots. Up to now he doesn't bother anybody, he just run errands for people and basically tries to make a little living. He didn't bother no one."
Williams Scott, Victim's Son
"The only thing I know is that last night about after 10 my uncle came and told me they had just shot my dad and (for me to) go see him at the hospital because he is dying. When I got there and I asked them to see my father they told me that the morgue was closed. [Weeping] I tell everybody that this isn't done yet because I will get back (revenge) because while my old man wasn't at our side and thing when we were growing, he is still my father so we have to get back at anybody who killed my pa because we don't like it.
They have brought me back to the days where I used to be. I am off the streets and I am back on the streets because they have hurt my feelings already. I have five kids and thing and I want to watch them grow up and thing but those men are doing a lot of stupidness out here. For nothing they killed him. They just killed him right so. The boys were probably going on a little shooting spree and they just killed my old man. In his days, which was a long time ago, he used to be a bad man and thing but his life changed because he started to deal with dope. So his life just changed when he started to deal with dope."
And while white may have been a drug addict, Castillo was also a deportee and was also known as a drug addict. But both men were not known to trouble anyone - in fact they were known as neighborhood handymen. And without any motive police believe that the men were killed as target practice.
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
"It was clearly, from what we're getting so far, it was a senseless killing; no particular motive. At this time the investigation is still ongoing but it seems to be just a senseless act as far as we are seeing at this time."
Jules Vasquez,
A random act of violence from an individual who was heavily armed and heavily stocked up with ammunition?
Gerald Westby,
"I don't know about the heavily armed but he had quite a number of ammunition with him."
That man is Brian Herrera. He was picked up by police in the area of the second shooting and was seen taking off a mask and disposing of a bag containing thirty rounds of point 38 ammunition. He was taken to court this afternoon and arraigned on murder charges.
We should note that Herrera was only arraigned for the murder of Eugene White which occurred on Dean Street, but police believe he may be responsible for both killings.
