SE Valley Times

Statement from Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg:

"I want to acknowledge the fear and frustration that the community is feeling after the tragic deaths of three East Valley teens, Preston Lord in Queen Creek, Hailey Stephens in Casa Grande, and Jamiere Jenkins in Pinal County. We have heard from residents and from people in our neighboring communities about how these incidents, although unrelated, have greatly impacted them due to the violence that has led to the tragic loss of these three youths. Arrests have been made in both the Casa Grande and Pinal County investigations. Queen Creek PD is actively working on their thorough investigation and providing community updates as it progresses. 

Recent alleged incidents of teen violence in Gilbert have heightened community awareness and we want to make it known that we condemn any violence within our community. I want to reassure our community members that we will do everything we can to successfully investigate and prosecute those who have committed any acts of violence in Gilbert. Social media and media reports allege that there have been police investigations involving a group of Gilbert individuals that have been targeting teens in the East Valley identified as the “Gilbert Goons”, a term of which Gilbert PD was made aware of via recent social media references. What we know at this time is that Gilbert PD does not have police reports from victims or suspects associating or connecting the named group to any alleged reported criminal activity in our community. Gilbert PD has investigated and will continue to investigate all reported incidents and take the proper actions to ensure any concerning behaviors or crimes are addressed promptly.

We want to reiterate our commitment to ensuring our community’s safety and we encourage any concerns or relevant information regarding these or other incidents of this nature to be shared directly with Gilbert PD by calling 480-503-6500, or the appropriate jurisdiction, to avoid potentially creating online confusion or misinformation. More importantly, providing information directly to the police department on these incidents will ensure proper follow up and/or investigation is conducted so that justice will be provided to the victims and their families. Gilbert PD will continue to work on teen safety education via our school resource officers, a dedicated crime prevention team, and the department's social media channels."

Read Gilbert Town Council's Statement

Original source can be found here.