Gangs are noted for brutal, vicious, senseless violence. Past gang initiations have required a new member kill somebody, anybody. It was prudent for the Delano PD and Breaking News to repeat the report. You can recover from the embarrassment of repeating a rumor alot easier than a victim who could have been alerted. No harm, no foul.

 Thank you for making us aware. You never know.......... there could have easily been copycats. The Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang members are very dangerous. We all need to report gang activity. Just think we could save lives. If we continue to act ignore gangs  they will never stop killing people. Don't be afraid. You can call in anonymously. Take back your neighborhoods.

My neighbor had me drive her to the store Friday night because she had heard the rumor and didn't want to go out alone. I tried to tell her it probably was a hoax, but she wouldn't listen.

I got a free bag of chips and a soft drink out of it.

 Coming from Chicago, news alerts like this are typical.  They unfortunately occur more often than not around junior high and high schools.  Most times they include students, teachers, and a few parents.  My partner's school was usually on lockdown about 4 or 5 times a month...this was a middle school, too!  As inconvenient as this might be, or as costly a process this becomes, nothing...NOTHING could equal the loss of life of a student, teacher, or any other human being as a result of declaring these situations as "urban myth."

 I will be forever grateful to one of my middle school students who introduced me to snopes.com several years ago. I have lost count of the number of false rumors perpetuated over the internet. I was stunned to hear this latest rumor on television and am glad I don't live in Delano.