'Hitman' Heard was a natural
BY J.K. DINEEN
Of The Examiner Staff
Toward the end of the documentary "Straight Out Of Hunters Point," rapper Hitman steps out of the shadows to defend rap music against those who blame it for inciting inner-city violence.
"The war started before rap did," he says, "so you can't blame war on rap."
Hitman's fleeting cameo may have lasted only about seven seconds, but it took on chilling significance on Feb. 2 when the rapper was gunned down while visiting his girlfriend in Hunters Point.
It was a devastating loss for San Francisco's rap community, which regarded Hitman -- whose real name was Ricky Heard -- as one of its most promising artists.
"That dude is an icon for real -- he had a lot of respect as a young leader, a young visionary doing his thing," said Kevin Epps, director and producer of the documentary. "He did something in his verse that was not complex but he had a way with words, he told stories about urban issues. There was nobody in Hunters Point who rhymed the way he rhymed."
Heard, 24, was shot nine times at dusk near the intersection of Hudson Avenue and Whitney Young Circle. Police found him slumped over the steering wheel of his car after it had slammed into a light pole.
Cops say they have several suspects in the murder and the Oakland Police Department is helping with witnesses. Homicide Inspector Ed Wynkoop said police haven't nailed down a motive for the slaying.
Heard grew up in Hunters Point in the Harbor Road projects. He was the oldest of three children, although his mother and siblings have relocated to Missouri, where a funeral service was held on Wednesday. Friends are planning a private ceremony this weekend.
Among Hunters Point rappers, Heard was something of a child protÈgÈ, discovered at 15 by RBL Posee members Mr. Cee (Hubert "Kyle" Church) and Black C (Chris Matthews). Mr. Cee was killed in 1996.
"As soon as the first bar came out his mouth I knew he was a savage on the mic," Matthews said in a profile published on his Right War Productions Web site. "Every time we seen him we would call him over to the car on the block and get him to freestyle, and he did it like it was nothing."
As a solo artist and a member of the RBL Posse, Hitman sold about 200,000 records -- without any promotion or corporate backing. His 1995 record "Solo Creep" -- recorded when he was 16 -- sold 70,000 copies, and the 1997 RBL Posse record "An Eye For An Eye" sold 88,000 copies.
While police Lt. Kit Crenshaw of the Violent Crimes Task Force describes Heard as a "notorious hitman connected with the higher-ups in Westmob," his friends insist the moniker Hitman stems from his success as a rapper.
"That is police mumbo jumbo," said friend Big Bro, who didn't want his real name used for fear of retaliation. "He got that name for hits he made. Give him a microphone and he made hits. He didn't even need no pen and paper."
But Crenshaw said the rapper was closely tied to the Hunters Point Westmob, which has been involved in a bloody feud with Big Block, another neighborhood gang.
"I'm not familiar with his rap career, just his criminal career," Crenshaw said.
He said the killing has heightened tension between Westmob and Big Block gang members.
"Threats have been made on both sides -- we're trying to diffuse it as much as possible," Crenshaw said.
Big Bro argued that the violence that crops up in Hitman's songs such as "You Betta Come Strapped" was "soaked up from the environment growing up on Harbor Road." He also said Hitman's new material had mellowed out and was more laid-back party music.
"He ran into a little trouble sometimes, maybe stole a car, or a little pot or something," said Big Bro. "Some guys you meet, you think, 'He's going to be dead or in jail,' but you didn't get that vibe off of Ricky."
http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.hitman.0214w
Richard Byrne Reilly contributed to this report.
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Shooting victim was alleged hitman
BY J.K. DINEEN
Of The Examiner Staff
Police are concerned the killing of an alleged Westmob hitman on Sunday may damage the hard-won truce between rival Big Block and Westmob gangs in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.
Ricky "Hit Man" Heard, 24, was shot at dusk several times in the head Sunday as he cruised in his red Toyota through his native Bayview.
Police found him slumped over the steering wheel after the vehicle had slammed into a tree and light pole. What started out as an accident investigation ended up in the hands of homicide inspectors.
"This was a notorious hitman connected with the higher-ups in Westmob," said Lt. Kit Crenshaw of the Violent Crimes Task Force.
Gang violence in the neighborhood has been on the decrease since late 2001, when an intense police and FBI investigation ended in the federal indictment of 17 Big Block gang members.
In addition, community street workers such as Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns have had remarkable success in establishing a tenuous truce between the gangs, Crenshaw said.
"This may break that because Heard was a key figure in Westmob," said Crenshaw. "We're going to take action to make sure this is not going to explode."
While there have been lapses in the gang truce, including a spate of shootings in June, police are crossing their fingers that Heard's slaying, only the second homicide in San Francisco this year, won't spark Westmob retaliation.
Cops say Heard was the suspect in several murders, including that of Big Block member Alvin McEldry, who was gunned down May 1, 2001, on the 100 block of Middlepoint Road. On that same night, Heard was also shot in the buttocks and groin and was dropped off later at San Francisco General Hospital.
Meanwhile, homicide inspectors are hitting the streets to find out who killed Heard.
"As you might imagine, the name of the game is to race against the clock to talk to as many people as possible, as fast as possible," said Inspector Herman Jones, who is handling the case.
"There are a number of (inspectors) here who had experiences and exposure to the victim and we'll be exploring all the historical references."
Jones would not directly comment on the gang affiliation of the victim, but acknowledged "a concern that it may become a flash point."
"I don't know how this will be interpreted in the community, but my assumption is he had some friends," said Jones.
http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.murder.0204w
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BY J.K. DINEEN
Of The Examiner Staff
Toward the end of the documentary "Straight Out Of Hunters Point," rapper Hitman steps out of the shadows to defend rap music against those who blame it for inciting inner-city violence.
"The war started before rap did," he says, "so you can't blame war on rap."
Hitman's fleeting cameo may have lasted only about seven seconds, but it took on chilling significance on Feb. 2 when the rapper was gunned down while visiting his girlfriend in Hunters Point.
It was a devastating loss for San Francisco's rap community, which regarded Hitman -- whose real name was Ricky Heard -- as one of its most promising artists.
"That dude is an icon for real -- he had a lot of respect as a young leader, a young visionary doing his thing," said Kevin Epps, director and producer of the documentary. "He did something in his verse that was not complex but he had a way with words, he told stories about urban issues. There was nobody in Hunters Point who rhymed the way he rhymed."
Heard, 24, was shot nine times at dusk near the intersection of Hudson Avenue and Whitney Young Circle. Police found him slumped over the steering wheel of his car after it had slammed into a light pole.
Cops say they have several suspects in the murder and the Oakland Police Department is helping with witnesses. Homicide Inspector Ed Wynkoop said police haven't nailed down a motive for the slaying.
Heard grew up in Hunters Point in the Harbor Road projects. He was the oldest of three children, although his mother and siblings have relocated to Missouri, where a funeral service was held on Wednesday. Friends are planning a private ceremony this weekend.
Among Hunters Point rappers, Heard was something of a child protÈgÈ, discovered at 15 by RBL Posee members Mr. Cee (Hubert "Kyle" Church) and Black C (Chris Matthews). Mr. Cee was killed in 1996.
"As soon as the first bar came out his mouth I knew he was a savage on the mic," Matthews said in a profile published on his Right War Productions Web site. "Every time we seen him we would call him over to the car on the block and get him to freestyle, and he did it like it was nothing."
As a solo artist and a member of the RBL Posse, Hitman sold about 200,000 records -- without any promotion or corporate backing. His 1995 record "Solo Creep" -- recorded when he was 16 -- sold 70,000 copies, and the 1997 RBL Posse record "An Eye For An Eye" sold 88,000 copies.
While police Lt. Kit Crenshaw of the Violent Crimes Task Force describes Heard as a "notorious hitman connected with the higher-ups in Westmob," his friends insist the moniker Hitman stems from his success as a rapper.
"That is police mumbo jumbo," said friend Big Bro, who didn't want his real name used for fear of retaliation. "He got that name for hits he made. Give him a microphone and he made hits. He didn't even need no pen and paper."
But Crenshaw said the rapper was closely tied to the Hunters Point Westmob, which has been involved in a bloody feud with Big Block, another neighborhood gang.
"I'm not familiar with his rap career, just his criminal career," Crenshaw said.
He said the killing has heightened tension between Westmob and Big Block gang members.
"Threats have been made on both sides -- we're trying to diffuse it as much as possible," Crenshaw said.
Big Bro argued that the violence that crops up in Hitman's songs such as "You Betta Come Strapped" was "soaked up from the environment growing up on Harbor Road." He also said Hitman's new material had mellowed out and was more laid-back party music.
"He ran into a little trouble sometimes, maybe stole a car, or a little pot or something," said Big Bro. "Some guys you meet, you think, 'He's going to be dead or in jail,' but you didn't get that vibe off of Ricky."
http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.hitman.0214w
Richard Byrne Reilly contributed to this report.
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Shooting victim was alleged hitman
BY J.K. DINEEN
Of The Examiner Staff
Police are concerned the killing of an alleged Westmob hitman on Sunday may damage the hard-won truce between rival Big Block and Westmob gangs in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.
Ricky "Hit Man" Heard, 24, was shot at dusk several times in the head Sunday as he cruised in his red Toyota through his native Bayview.
Police found him slumped over the steering wheel after the vehicle had slammed into a tree and light pole. What started out as an accident investigation ended up in the hands of homicide inspectors.
"This was a notorious hitman connected with the higher-ups in Westmob," said Lt. Kit Crenshaw of the Violent Crimes Task Force.
Gang violence in the neighborhood has been on the decrease since late 2001, when an intense police and FBI investigation ended in the federal indictment of 17 Big Block gang members.
In addition, community street workers such as Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns have had remarkable success in establishing a tenuous truce between the gangs, Crenshaw said.
"This may break that because Heard was a key figure in Westmob," said Crenshaw. "We're going to take action to make sure this is not going to explode."
While there have been lapses in the gang truce, including a spate of shootings in June, police are crossing their fingers that Heard's slaying, only the second homicide in San Francisco this year, won't spark Westmob retaliation.
Cops say Heard was the suspect in several murders, including that of Big Block member Alvin McEldry, who was gunned down May 1, 2001, on the 100 block of Middlepoint Road. On that same night, Heard was also shot in the buttocks and groin and was dropped off later at San Francisco General Hospital.
Meanwhile, homicide inspectors are hitting the streets to find out who killed Heard.
"As you might imagine, the name of the game is to race against the clock to talk to as many people as possible, as fast as possible," said Inspector Herman Jones, who is handling the case.
"There are a number of (inspectors) here who had experiences and exposure to the victim and we'll be exploring all the historical references."
Jones would not directly comment on the gang affiliation of the victim, but acknowledged "a concern that it may become a flash point."
"I don't know how this will be interpreted in the community, but my assumption is he had some friends," said Jones.
http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.murder.0204w
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