Crime & Safety

Hooksett Teen Charged After Gang Shooting Incidents

Police: Isaac Velez arrested after enforcement stepped up to diffuse violence between two rival gangs in the Queen City last week.

Two shooting incidents in Manchester last week have led police to step up enforcement and in the process of doing so, led to the arrest of a Hooksett man on a reckless conduct charge.

Isaac Velez, 19, was arrested on July 9, 2015, on the charge and held without bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Manchester District Court yesterday.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Manchester Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.

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According to Lt. Brian O’Keefe, after being called to two shooting incidents in the area of South and Lowell streets on July 7, and July 8, the department initiated an effort “to take an aggressive approach toward diffusing the violence between two rival gangs and its members,” according to a report.

“The proactive approach provided additional personnel to work in plain clothes and uniformed capacities throughout the targeted areas where the suspected gang members are known to frequent,” O’Keefe noted.

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The plan was implemented on July 9, while detectives completed warrants for the alleged assailant in the July 8 shooting. Not long after, Velez was picked up without incident.

“Detectives continue to investigate the July 7, incident and have yet to identify the shooter,” he noted. “It remains under investigation, so details are limited.”

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