Remember when we told you that many of the murders taking place in Houston are preventable?
Bond reform strikes again!
Holly Hansen reports:
Police have arrested two suspects in relation to a fatal shooting that occurred last weekend in a popular Houston eatery that left New Orleans Police detective Everett Briscoe dead and critically injured Dyrin Riculfy.
The arrests were announced Friday morning at a press conference attended by Police Chief Troy Finner, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
The suspects arrested are Anthony Rayshard Jenkins (21) and Frederick Dewayne Jackson (19). Both men were out on bond at the time of the murder.
According to county records, the 232nd District Court under Judge Josh Hill had released Jenkins on a $40,000 bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Ogg noted that Jenkins was also known to law enforcement as a member of a Houston-based gang known as YSB or the Young Scott Block Gang.
Jackson had a prior conviction and had been released on five bonds since August of 2020. His charges included aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Also known to have gang ties, Jackson had removed an ankle monitor and failed to appear for an August 2021 court date. His bond was revoked by the 184th District Court under Judge Abigail Anastasio.
Ogg reiterated that she, along with Turner and Finner, were opposed to release of suspects on multiple bonds and said that felony bond policies were at least partially to blame for driving up the local crime rate.
Turner said that a tip given to Crime Stoppers Houston had led to the arrests. Earlier this week Tilmann Fertitta announced he would add to a reward fund for information on the shooting bringing the total reward to $100,000.
In a written statement, Crime Stoppers Houston said they were awaiting confirmation from the police department as to which tip led to the arrests, and echoed Ogg’s comments about bail practices in Harris County.
“For two years, we have been sounding the alarm on the negative impact of felony bond reform and the repeated releasing of violent defendants into our streets. We are thankful for Mayor Sylvester Turner, District Attorney Kim Ogg and HPD Chief Troy Finner’s work and comments today. We will also continue to work with stakeholders and the community on what must be done to keep our community safe. We will do whatever we can to stop this utter carelessness and chaos.”
Crime Stoppers added that the reward payout on the case has the potential to be the largest in the organization’s 40-year history.