By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com
Sacramento gang detectives seized several guns and a bullet-proof vest from a Del Paso Heights home this morning after serving a search warrant connected to two shootings, according to police.
The shootings, both of which occurred in the north over the last month, are believed to be gang-related, said Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.
A victim in one of the shootings, 19-year-old Andre Johnson, lives at the Balsam Street home that police targeted with the search warrant, Leong said. Detectives received information that guns and a bullet-proof vest were being kept in the home, he said.
Inside, police found an illegal assault rifle, a handgun, a long rifle, ammunition and a bullet-proof vest, Leong said. Detectives arrested Johnson on suspicion of possessing an assault rifle, and he is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail in lieu of $60,000 bail.
Leong said relatives of Johnson, who is not a validated gang member, claimed the teen had the weapons for protection, but Leong said police have not verified that account.
Johnson does not have a criminal history in Sacramento County, according to superior court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
Leong said the seizure underscores the rising threat of gang violence in the city. From Jan. 1 through April of this year, police have responded to 268 crimes that officers believe to have gang ties. That's nearly double the amount for the same period last year, Leong said.
He warned parents to keep a closer eye on their children - and what those children are bringing into their homes.
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