Gang feud in Freeport leads to death of innocent teenager

FREEPORT, Ill. (WIFR) - Freeport police said a feud between two rival street gangs are responsible for multiple shootings over the weekend that took the life of a teenager. Kiahna Clark, 16, was shot and killed on a front porch Sunday, and police said she had no affiliation with the gangs.

Freeport Police Chief Matt Summers said the on going feud dates back to 2012, when one of the gang leaders was killed.

“This specifically is related to gang activities. It’s an ongoing feud between two hybrid gangs dating back years. There was a spike in activity earlier this year, where there was a homicide that was involved in that,” said Freeport Police Chief Matt Summers. “We believe this was all retaliation and going back and forth between the two gangs.”

The gangs are known as the “103s” and the “Land Lordz” according to Detective Lieutenant Andy Schroeder. Schroeder said these less organized organic gangs are more reckless than large, well known gangs.

Chief Summers said the department invested in updated technology at the beginning of this year when he first saw an increase in violence. The Winnebago Sherriff’s Department and the Illinois State Police have dedicated officers to stop the gang violence in Freeport.

“The state police has increased their patrol in the city. We know that they’ve had traffic stops on people that we know, and fire arms were removed from their vehicles. Those are things we’re going to continue to do,” said Chief Summers. “We’re going to have an increase visibility vision.”

Detective Schroeder said he understands people might be afraid to speak up about the gangs, but witness cooperation is critical to finding who killed Kiahna Clark.

“Too many times in these cases, we’re encountering people that we know were in the immediate area when something happened and they aren’t telling us everything they know. We need people to be candid with everything they saw and everything they know,” said Schroeder. “These crimes won’t be solved by police alone.”

Police say the gang members do not care who is hurt in the middle of their feuds. Witness information is vital in saving innocent lives.

Police encourage everyone to use their anonymous tip services:

Crime stoppers: http://statelineareacrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?ID=1400&P=wanteds&

Anonymous phone tips app: https://www.p3tips.com/community/index.htm

Hotline: 1-866-TIPS-NOW

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