Fenner was a member of the "Young Gorilla Family"??

I think you mean "guerrilla"...
–noun
1.
a member of a band of irregular soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids, sabotaging communication and supply lines, etc.

or you slipped in a most Freudian way

I'm pretty sure in this instance, it's "Gorilla" despite the connotation you allude to. -Justin

Justin, keep up the good work. Also, add a "d" to the word "release". Fenner was released, not release.

Thanks for the spot, and thanks for reading. -Justin

sam, thats quite a leap to assume that it was a Freudian slip. I'm pretty sure they just called their gang the "Young Gorrilla Family".

An earlier reader noted that "release" should have been "released." The larger point is that Fenner should not have been released at all. Given his background, he was clearly a danger to the community. Why are we not holding judges or the State's Attorney responsible for allowing people who are considered "catalysts for neighborhood violence" to be freed, while they are pending very serious charges that involve violence? Judges' decisions can be appealed. A State's Attorney can be replaced.

i live on east 25th and heard shots

"Gorilla" is the spelling that the gang members use, the few of them who are literate that is. Good riddance Donatello, here's to many more stories like this.

well no body is gonna miss guy.

buh-bye!

@sam: what an odd (if not offensive) comment. I am pretty sure "gorilla" is the correct spelling, as nearly all articles and documents use that spelling. Gangs name themselves, and probably don't consult dictionaries in the process. Nonetheless, if any Young Gorilla Family members are reading this blog I'm sure they'll take your reference into consideration.

If any "Young Gorilla Family" member CAN read this article, I'D be freakin' amazed!!
There are probably more than a few of his buddies that could benefit from a 'dirt nap' with him. Not going to miss you dude and can't say I'm sorry you're gone. Your parents must be heartbroken but to most of the city, you're just another dead thug.

Guerrllia or Gorilla, what the difference when it comes to the low life's in this city. I look forward to when I can sell my house and escape this infested city!

Kind of odd . . . disappointing . . . sad - if this is the 'silver lining' of this report: "Ten people were gunned down there in 2007 alone, but in the two years and almost three months since then, there have been only three killings."

rest in peace don we miss u cant believe u gone g

In response to query by "Steve" as to why charges were dropped resulting in Fenner's release, the most likely reason is that the case suffered from a lack of witnesses willing to testify. As a former Deputy State's Attorney from nearby County, (not Baltimore City), I can assure you that prosecutors don't drop charges without good cause.

This less than human has 2 pages of charges. Charged TWICE for ATT 1ST DEG. MURDER that was NOLLE PROSEQUI both times. In 2006 and 2009. Both times he was also charged with HANDGUN: USE IN COMMITTING CRIME again NOLLE PROSEQUI.

So very typical.

Looking further at this thugs record, he was sentenced to 2 years in prison on 10-14-2008 for violations of probation by being convicted of other crimes.
Why was he on the street in less than 2 years? He had multiple handgun possession charges and NONE were prosecuted.

Think that would happen to any law abiding citizen?

http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiryDetail.jis?caseId=207088026&loc=69&detailLoc=DSK8

Too bad if what your teardrops prove
was disturbin da public grove.
It was yo crimes for disorder
dat gave you your grave too soon,
so while we grieve we wonder...
What color was da hot bullets
dat raced from da trigger finger
at da mother's son
and not her only one but
Dead proof
dat dis black-on-black suicide
goes on...
until?

Ah !!...for once ..good news !!!!

Justin, it is Guerrilla! As a former member, knowing the history of the BGF I am not sure were the other spelling came from?

Great article here and with the $200K approved by the Board of Estimates. You are the great bright hope of a failing Sun!

You say, "Ten people were gunned down there in 2007 alone, but in the two years and almost three months since then, there have been only three killings.

Woo Hoo, ONLY 3 people killed. That is still 3 too many [edited].
The Sun needs to get off Bealefeld's jock and report the good and bad.
Bealefeld needs to be fired and get a guy in there who is tough on crime.
Dixon is gone and that is great, Bealefeld should be next.
The people in this blog wants to focus on grammanr and that is what is wrong in that city. Start giving a damn about crime and doing something about it, like electing public officials who care and not just collecting a paycheck.
I purposely made a grammar mistake so you guys can harp on that whlie another robbery, rape or murder occurs!
You Baltimore pissants.

First off, no need for the cursing. You raise a valid point among your ranting and raving. I only meant to say that the neighborhood, homicide-wise, has made great strides. Ten killings per year to 1.5 per year is an improvement, but its not "Mission Accomplished" -Justin

Good riddance, though I feel for his familly if they are grieving.

What's amazing to me is how someone at the age of 22 can be a leader of anything.
In my very humble opinion, thats the problem with this artificial family culture aka gang life that leads to so much blood shed.
You have a group of people in leadership positions with a scientific propensity for violence leading the group. So they build there reps hurting the innocent in most cases and then they're caught and they start helping themselves. For which we have a judicial system more than willing to accomodate.

In response to “Reader’s” post, I was not questioning why charges were dropped. Charges were in fact not dropped and Fenner was facing a trial date of March 25th for his assault and resisting arrest charges. I was questioning (pretty clearly, I thought) why Fenner was released at all given his violent history. That history is reflected in Commissioner Bealefeld’s comments and confirmed by the Maryland Judiciary Case Search, which sets out approximately a dozen criminal charges (including murder) against Fenner since 2005, when he was 18.

Police were still on the lookout for other gang members Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael and head of the gang Splinter....

Fact 1. Ding dong, the witch is dead.
Fact 2. Prove and Grove do not rhyme.
Fact 3. It is Gorilla. Do a Google search for Guerilla and Google corrects you. Although, it is Black Guerilla Family for BGF.
Fact 4. He is dead, and it doesn't matter how you spell YGF or BGF, the fact is that, in military terms, this is an acceptable loss to the City. If you call it a loss.

The use of Gorilla is correct. Probably a co-op of 50 Cent's G-Unit (Gorilla Unit). Which is probably also based on the word guerilla- but again taking a term that would typically be offensive coming from white lips, and using it to represent raw, animalistic gang fervor.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gorilla%20Unit

Get familiar.

Well imma have to say, im going to miss him... He might have had a past but he was trying to make changes to his life. Also if you knew him personally, you would have known he had a kind heart. Now the things he has done in his past were wrong, but who are we to judge?.... thats not our job, its all in the hands of God. Now if you want something to talk about, lets talk about the many more that will be after him, because our young men these days are becoming products of their environment. Lets get some of these young mothers and fathers out here in some trade school, so they can live desent lives and provide for their kids properly, lets get these drugs off the street so our young men dont see a come up in wrong doing. Now as far as Donatello being released, why not?... He wasnt so much a threat to society, it was the society that he was in that was a threat to itself altogether. If you are from the hood, or been in the hood, its a survival game, no such thing as rolling solo. So the gang, I see it as his family outside of family for protection on the streets, that the police cant even control.It all boils down to the environment in which we are placed and adapting..... This is truely tragic and he young, but if we as society want changes, we gotta come together and make it happen.

He was a kid that rode the coattails of family members, and started a lot of things based on their reputations....
Seems that them being in jail made him vulnerable...

nae...Please ! its just an "Excuss" to be a thug...not everyone in the Hood is in a gang....alot of those young men and women are doing whats right...going to school...trying to get a job...helping out with there brothers and sisters at home active in some kind of healthy activity.....being a help around there home..not mugging somebody..shooting or selling drugs...and where is the "parents" of these thugs...these thugs have no respect of no one ...not even there self !

Here's an old lady's take on this. A sin is a sin and wrong is wrong. A gun doesn't kill, the person using the gun kills - that's why they are called "killers".
Gangs, much like today's unions, serve no GOOD purpose. This all goes back to an "infamous" Baltimorian Madeline - remember her? Then came those idiots in DC who said she was right. What do you expect from kids who had parent unable to reprimand them. Don't talk to me about "Beating"; there's a big difference. Had some of these "hoodlums" had a wack or 2 on their butt PERHAPS they would have turned out differently. And, stop blaming the parents - had they laid a hand on their darlings they would have ended up with a file in CPS (again that you justices and Madeline - may you burn in pergatory (sp?)). Be greatful that a bad apple has been taken out of the barrel hopefully keeping others from going bad. And, since you have nothing better a complain about then spelling, have a ball with this posting!

Whats really sad is in Baltimore and other cities across this country before the body hits the ground there is a long line of misguided boys and girls to take their places.
I often hear people say get these young people training. Unfortunately, I am here to tell you training isn't going to save all of or even most of them. How do I know this, because for well over a decade I worked for various training programs and for every 10- 2 maybe 3 take full advantage of the opportunities given them. The other 7-8 only 8itch about how bad they have it and how the handout they receiving isn't enough, they need more entitlements.
It was this type of thinking that turned me from pro-social programs to pro prison and LONGER STIFFER prison sentences.

cane tommer..What ? ..How much pain did this thug cause other people...with his Punk a** life !...the streets are alittle safer with that P.O.S Gone !!

AVC stated: "rest in peace don we miss u cant believe u gone g"...

Dear AVC,

Sorry AVC – no one with honor will miss this one. That's one less homicidal maniac off the streets. AVC when this dirt bag is buried I hope there will be a lot of gang members at the funeral. That should make it easy for the police to round up all the dirt bags at one time. If not, at least they can get 8x10 glossies. You know - mug shots…

That’s on the one hand --- On the other – Murder cannot be condoned regardless of whom and for what reason the crime was committed.

Dear Mr. Fenton – looks like a lot of people want to correct the title of the gang…

I think it is time you and Mr. Hermann came down off of Mt. Rushmore and walked around with us mortals.

If you don’t get it – you have been challenged – Challenged to come to the Southern District police station on Thursday March 18 at 7 pm and see what the police and the citizens of the Southern District are trying to accomplish.

Talk to Mr. Jack Baker; ask him about the COP walks and the COP neighborhood programs already in place. That’s news – that’s the story!!! The Baltimore City Police are honorable hard working people and in most cases just want to make a difference.

You report crime - the citizens who reside in the Southern District live it and they are doing something about it!!! Just like every other part of this city.

Are you and Mr. Hermann going to accept my challenge or are you too busy to do more than just talk us to death????

Don’t worry boys – you will be safe – I understand that the Southern District Police Station has a cop or two on duty.

I'll have to say hi the next time I'm on a community walk or at the Southern District Police Community Relations Council meeting. -Justin

It's crazy how people write and comment about things or people they know nothing about and would never even understand what type of hand these people were dealt n life just put urself n his mothers shoes for a second and read ur comments and ask urself DO YOU REALLY WANT VIOLENCE TO END...from the likes of those comments u upper class cowards just made shit worse!!!!!!!!!!!

@ Bob u dnt know anything about that young man... Dnt beleive everything that you read and hear police and society make black men look like they are the worse people on earth..as a matter of fact he was in school nd he also was a good father, son , brother,nephew,and grandson, and u can't blaim him for his past u dnt know what kind of parenting he receive as a young child, u don't know what he had to do as a child to survive.You shouldn't judge someone by what others are saying once again IT IS NOT OUR PLACE TO JUDGE THATS GODS JOB!!!!

How discouraging. A 22 year old was murdered in early evening in a neighborhood I call home, and people rejoice? "Good riddance" and "more stories like this"... I am simply appalled. At 22 what were you doing? Finishing a bachelor degree, maybe starting grad school, first job, or a new family? He will have NONE of that. It's funny, 20 years earlier, we would have seen him as a cute baby, then not care for another 15 years, next he's magically a thug?!
Baltimore get real. Invest in the neighborhoods that need help the most, so that people don't need to turn to drugs and gangs to provide for their families! Let these communities tell you what they need, not come up with a list of your proposed ideas. Stop thinking locking up more people does anything to change the world - these people hae families you know. If you see your mother or father carted away to prison what does that do to your home life? Maybe some or inspired, others are left with less resources, less options, and then less reason to believe in the system that locked their parent up. Let a Black man BE a man. When I work with the youth everyday, you can see their ideas of the world changing when they literaly hear, you will never be anything, you're nothing but a thug, you don't matter, we don't care about your schools or community. That has an affect of the young psyche! These kids are so disillusioned by the age of 13, no wonder many turn to the only "family" (e.g. gangs) that provide for them, protect them and give them substnace in society. right now all I've seen offered, "thank God another one is dead."

I am ashamed at the lack of humanity shown by those who responded to this article. True, this young man made some bad choices, hurt a lot of other families along the way, but did killing him change any of that? No. When will we realize that we are only as strong as weakest link? Right now, Baltimore is looking pretty shaky.

i'm fairly certain that wherever this guy is now, it's a lot darker and a LOT hotter than it is here.

good riddance. one down, another 2000 to go...

Nae,
Who are we to judge?!?!?! I think as a resident of Baltimore, I have every right to judge criminals that are making it difficult to live in the city.
It's for God to judge? Seriously, you religious fanatics are so stupid and brainwashed. How about just treating people the way that you would like to be treated and stop trying to communicate with an invisible man in the sky for fear that you may have to go to a really hot place down below where bad people are...

MissDee,

Incarcerating these hoods is NOT for the purpose of making their world better:

It's to the purpose of ensuring that they have no capacity to do to US what they've already shown they will do to others.

Scary no matter which view you take. If this 22 year old could manage a criminal empire, he had to have some kind of leadership skills, too bad society could not have harvested his skills for the good. God bless his family in their loss.

This murder happened in broad daylight only a few feet from where I live. We walk the dog through that alley at around that time every day. Well, no more. And there's a school there for crying out loud! At 4:20 there are still little kids waiting for their parents. What I'm reading about moral judgements and leadership skills completely misses the point. Why is this city so out of hand? Why are there rats running rampant in my alley and people getting murdered (another guy was gunned down just four blocks away) in one of the 'better" neighborhoods in Baltimore. The whole thing is a disgrace and, in my opinion, starts with a complete disconnect between law enforcement, the justice systems, and the community. WE NEED TO SOLVE THIS NOW!

How dare anyone pass jusdgement on the death of someone. Just so you know It's all alleged his brother was gunned down a few years ago and they actually charged him for it when he was no where around there for the charges were dismissed. Learn the facts! So before you pass judgement look in the mirror. A life was lost regardless of what you think or the media illudes to!

The funny thing here is
A. There is no god.
B. Gorilla is the correct term.
C. The Greek gods lived on Olympus, not Rushmore. And...
D. The kid is dead.
Its just sad really. Sad that so many never get a chance to discover how the world really works. They get caught up in these tiny little worlds where violence and retribution are paramount. If only they could break out of that little world.
-steve

I'm just gonna throw out that this problem will never be solved. You have uneducated children who have no chance, no matter if you gave them a college education on a bling platter. They can't see it. They never will. They are completely hopeless, because they were born without hope. The decisions they made, however, were their own. They chose to pull the trigger. They chose to ruin their lives (what little wasn't ruined anyway). The fact is, I have compassion for them. Those angry young men have no compassion. No one loves them, and no one ever will. We aren't going to save them. They worship a subculture that glorifies the ridiculous lives they live. It's just like sending a soldier to fight a tank with a knife - they have nothing to live for, so they invent everything to die for. It is completely hopeless for them, and they were doomed by the ineptitude, laziness, and weakness of their parents. Only shame and pride guide them to their graves.

I don't hear YGF no more , where yall at? I know him personally , just a matter of time homie!

Im going to pray that God continues to bless u ignorant people for these horrible comments. Donatello was an elementary school classmate of mine and from the sheer intelligence he posessed i would have never thought this is how his life would end. I believe he was a good person who became a product of A NEGATIVE environment. No not everyone has to take this road but unfortunately some people lack the support and motivation to make the best out of theirr situation. I am sure this gang made him feel loved and accepted and most of all like family which is what so many young people in Baltimore long for.And to you all saying that this isnt a loss, have compassion because even if he was nobody to you, someone is mourning for their brother, son, cousin etc. Rest in peace Donatello. I hope you made your peace with the Lord and you will be missed.