Drive-by gang shooting on Wednesday left one teenager wounded and police searching for whoever pulled the trigger.

Bullets flew in a south Everett neighborhood and hit a 17-year-old boy in an arm and a leg. Detectives expected him to recover from the injuries. drive-by gang shooting on Wednesday left one teenager wounded and police searching for whoever pulled the trigger.The early-morning shooting happened two blocks from a 2006 gang shooting that ended the life of 19-year-old Dennis Riojas. Sheriff's deputies focused attention on the area two years ago after noticing a surge in gang activity. Deputies saw a rise in graffiti and gangs recruiting new members at the schools. A deputy was assigned to work out of Mariner High School because of gang problems in the neighborhood
The project, Operation Clean Sweep, helped build partnerships with neighbors, school officials and businesses and went a long way to address safety issues, sheriff's officials said."But you can't prevent every crime in that area, or anywhere else for that matter," sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
Investigators believe the victim in Wednesday's shooting has ties to a gang, as do the suspects, she said.The teen told detectives he was walking to meet a girl when a car full of people pulled up near him. A passenger yelled something about a gang, and shots rang out, Hover said.The teen was treated at a local hospital and released. No one else was wounded.The shooting happened about 3 a.m. in the 700 block of 128th Street SW. The road was closed for a short time while investigators collected evidence. Nationwide, police are seeing more gangs in the suburbs and communities similar to Snohomish County. There is less pressure from police, and gangs are finding fertile markets to sell drugs, steal cars or commit other crimes. The gangs also find many receptive young people in the suburbs who want to emulate the thug lifestyle seen in pop culture.Lawmakers last year called for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to form a task force to address gangs in schools. Educators, police and prosecutors have been meeting for more than a year to gather information about trends and problems with gangs in schools
Police from around Snohomish County conducted a gang survey last year and found gang members in every part of the county. Detectives identified 250 gang members and 200 associates from about 20 different gangs. The gangs tend to be more homegrown than in the past, authorities said. In the 1980s and 1990s, the last time police saw a surge in gang activity, much of the trouble was linked to Seattle and Tacoma gang members committing crimes in Snohomish County.Last week, Everett police and a federal gang task force arrested more than a dozen people after a lengthy investigation aimed at rounding up gang members, drug dealers and their customers.
A group of deputies and police officer from around the county are expected to work together this summer to crack down on criminal gang activity.
"We are going to be aggressive about addressing gang activity in our county," Hover said. "We want them to know we're watching them and if they're going to be involved in criminal activity, they're not welcome here."

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