Murderous brutality of Fresno’s 107 Hoover gang revealed in 82 pages of court documents
Forty-two suspected gang members and associates in 19 separate cases are expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Fresno County Superior Court as part of a multi-agency crackdown on criminal street gangs and human traffickers.
An 82-page criminal complaint filed by the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office on Monday details the brutal violence inflicted by members of the 107 Hoover gang.
During a two year period, from April 11, 2020 to April 11 2022, gang members and associates took part in a series of drive-by shootings and murders that had the city on edge with gun violence.
One of the lead defendants is Marcello Della, 21, who is awaiting trial for the alleged murders of Michael Jenkins and Cruz Garcia on Jan. 1, 2021.
Della’s also being charged with two additional murders: Jaylin Johnson, killed on Dec. 29, 2020 and Javonte Askew on March 9 this year. Investigators allege Askew’s murder was ordered by Della from inside Fresno County Jail.
The complaint describes how 107 Hoover gang member Rafer Alston, 23, allegedly sat outside of Askew’s home near Augusta and Holland avenues in central Fresno on March 8, waiting for him to appear.
Alston called Della and told him he was waiting for Askew. That’s when Della gave Alston special instructions to shoot Askew in the face, according to the complaint.
Alston continued watching the home and eventually left to pick up another gang member, Terron Johnson. They return to the area and resumed surveillance. They didn’t spot Askew that day. But they did the next day, the complaint said.
As soon as Johnson saw him, he jumped out of the car and confronted Askew, who was taking out the trash.
“Terron Johnson shot Javonte Askew 18 times using a 9 mm, including multiple times in the face,” according to the complaint. “Javonte Askew died as a result of the shooting.”
The gang’s operatives aren’t just confined to their home territory, the area of Walnut and Jensen avenues, as the complaint shows.
One of the defendants, Leonard Smith, is described in the complaint as a gang associate and an employee of Advance Peace, a community based group aimed at reducing gang violence.
In the complaint, Smith is accused of telling Alston on March 11 that he heard from another employee that police are looking for him. Smith advises Alston to leave town and that he will look after his family.
Smith, who is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, also asks Alston for a gun “so Smith could attack an unidentified individual giving Smith problems.”
Along with the murders of Johnson, Jenkins, Garcia and Askew, prosecutors also allege an unknown co-conspirator is responsible for the murders of Robert Lockhart, a rival gang member, and John Ellis, a known informant, on June 5, 2020 at the Arco gas station on Olive and Parkway avenues.
On multiple occasions, heavily armed gang members, sometimes wearing body armor, would drive through areas of the city looking for rival gang members.
Additional attempted murders have also been alleged as well as two intercepted plans by members to shoot at rival gang members in the parking lot of The Bar at First and Gettysburg avenues.
Law enforcement officials announced the results of their crack, dubbed Operation No Fly Zone, at a press conference last Friday.
This story was originally published April 19, 2022 at 8:17 AM with the headline "Murderous brutality of Fresno’s 107 Hoover gang revealed in 82 pages of court documents."
