May 052012
 

 

Son, 14, arrested in Calif. shooting of ICE agent

 

Associated Press

Published May 03, 2012

 

 

 

CARSON, Calif. –  A federal agent was shot and killed by his 14-year-old son who fired a single shot through a window from the backyard with his father’s gun then called 911, authorities said Thursday.

The victim was identified by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Special Agent Myron Chisem, 42, a Navy veteran who joined the agency in 2007.

The boy, whose name was not released, was arrested and booked for investigation of murder. No motive was released.

“Evidence gained from the scene and statements made by the suspect” led to the arrest, sheriff’s Lt. Holly Francisco said. The handgun used in the shooting belonged to Chisem and it was found in the front yard, she said.

Chisem was the second ICE agent killed in Southern California this year.

In February, agent Ezequiel Garcia was killed by a fellow agent after Garcia shot his supervisor at ICE offices in Long Beach. Garcia was being counseled on his job performance when the shooting occurred, authorities said.

The shooting of Chisem occurred late Wednesday in a two-story home in Carson, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, along a row of modest but tidy homes tucked into an industrial area.

Sheriff’s investigators said the boy had been in the house prior to the shooting and then fired a gun through a window, striking his father as he sat in the family room. The boy called 911 to report his dad had been shot, authorities said.

No further details were released on the shooting.

Chisem’s girlfriend also lived at the house but was not there at the time of the shooting.

Chisem’s friend, Shawn Butler, said the boy had moved into his father’s house about six months ago. Butler, who also has a teenage son, said Chisem never indicated there was any tension between him and his son.

“I have no answer to why or how” the attack occurred, said Butler, 41, a former ICE agent. “Everything was coming together. Everything was peachy, peachy, lovely.”

Chisem’s son did fairly well at a nearby high school and liked to play video games, he said.

“He has to go through all this now,” a tearful Butler said. “His father loved him so much. I’m in disbelief.”

Butler said he and Chisem became friends while they were in the Navy and Chisem also had two older daughters and worked at Los Angeles International Airport on contraband and smuggling investigations.

Chisem was the godfather of Butler’s kids and the two played chess and golf together. They also argued about football teams: Chisem favored the San Francisco 49ers, Butler liked the Dallas Cowboys.

“I loved him like my own brother,” Butler said. “He would do anything for anybody.”

Fellow agents arrived at Chisem’s house, lined the driveway and saluted as the body, covered by an American flag, was wheeled to a coroner’s van.

“This is a difficult time for ICE, especially for the family and loved ones of the agent. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers,’ ICE Director John Morton said in a statement.

 

 

 

 

Jan 242012
 

‘Beat Down Posse’ leader convicted of racketeering and more

Former bail bondsman Joseph “Big Joe” Gustafson Sr.’s trial ended amid screaming and swearing.

Star Tribune

by: ABBY SIMONS

January 20, 2012

 

 

Joseph Robert Gustafson

Photo: Jsz115, Dml

 


A Hennepin County jury convicted ex-Hell’s Angel and former bail bondsman Joseph “Big Joe” Gustafson Sr. of racketeering and other felonies Friday, in an explosive hearing in which a family member screamed an expletive at the jury and Gustafson swore at the judge.

The verdict was announced Friday afternoon after a two-week trial and six hours of deliberation. As a clerk read the verdicts on multiple counts, Gustafson shook his head and turned to his family, where the men struggled to comfort gasping and sobbing women. A young woman stood up and screamed at the jury, calling them, in part, “delusional.” Judge Kerry Meyer ordered the woman from the courtroom.

Gustafson, 56, was indicted last summer on six felony counts, including attempted murder and arson, as the alleged leader of the “Beat Down Posse,” a brutal north Minneapolis gang that robbed, intimidated and assaulted drug dealers and others. Prosecutors alleged that he was the “CEO” of the gang, issuing orders while running the gang under the front of his business, Gustafson Bail Bonds. His son, Joseph Duane “Little Joe” Gustafson Jr., 37, is scheduled to stand trial on charges of racketeering and similar crimes in March.

Gustafson’s attorney, Barry Voss, said during trial that the witnesses who testified against his client, mostly former members of the gang, were only doing so in hopes of getting breaks in criminal cases of their own. Voss declined to comment after the verdicts Friday.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman called the verdicts a “huge win.”

“We know that the Gustafson gang has been terrorizing north Minneapolis for at least 20 years,” he said. “The primo domo of that gang has been brought to justice. We look forward to bringing the same to junior when he goes to trial in March.”

Freeman said he plans to ask for at least 20 years in prison for Gustafson.

“This guy has not been in the church choir,” he said.

He wouldn’t say whether the office planned to offer plea deals to the former gang members who testified against Gustafson.

The jury convicted Gustafson of racketeering, a felony, as well as kidnapping, second-degree assault, first-degree arson and accessory after the fact. He was cleared of attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the racketeering conviction and up to 40 years for kidnapping.

Gustafson, who wore jeans and a sweat shirt throughout trial with his long gray hair in a braid down his back, was incredulous at the conviction.

“How can they convict me?” he asked Meyer, adding that he would take a lie detector test.

Meyer explained that the jury felt differently based on the evidence they heard. Gustafson shook his head.

He remains held without bail in the Hennepin County Jail pending sentencing March 1. His family declined to comment.

 

Direct Link:  http://www.startribune.com/local/west/137783093.html