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He was gunned down in front of his house on Jones Street in the St. Martin's Area- the second killing in that area in just over a week. And the gang element was at play again in this latest homicide. Even though Michael Lopez was no gangster - in the present climate, just living in a certain area can get you killed. Emanuel Pech has the report.

The latest victim in a series of gang related shootings in the City is 22 year old Michael Lopez, a resident of the St Martin's De Pores Area.

He was walking home on Jones Street sometime around 7:40 last night when he was ambushed by two men on a motorcycle.

He was shot to the head multiple times- right in front of his yard- while the rest of his family attended the repass for last week's murder victim Kieran Morrison.

Shelmadine Jones- Sister of Deceased
"I was at the young boy funeral who they killed by Lacroix Boulevard and my neighbour who dances in the carnival broke the news to me and told me that they just shot.... she didn't say my brother name but she said they just shot someone on our lane. That's when I came around here and I saw that it was him."

Emanuel Pech
"Now, what was your 1st reaction when you saw your adopted brother on the ground?"

Shelmadine Jones- Sister of Deceased
"I couldn't take it."

These bloodstains on the gravel are the tell-tale signs of the last night's violence. He was rushed to the hospital, but couldn't be saved. Michael Lopez died after 9. But just who would want him dead, and why?

Emanuel Pech
"Now, the 1st thing when people hear a shooting by Martin's again, is that is has to do something related to the shootings that happened just last week. Does it have anything to do with that?"

Shelmadine Jones- Sister of Deceased
"No, he is not a gangbang person. He has no relationship with that."

Now although he was not a known gang member, a few people in his neighbourhood were, and that in itself made him a target, according to investigators.

ACP Chester Williams - O. C. Eastern South Division
"The victim of that murder from what we know, he is not in any gang, but again the area that he lives have persons who are from a particular gang and we believe that it's a situation where you can't catch Harry - you catch his shirt. It is gang related from what our investigation is showing so far. We do not believe that it is a retaliation for any of the shootings yesterday, but we do believe it's a retaliation for the shooting death of Mr. Morrison which took place in the St. Martin's area about a week and a couple days ago."

And while nothing will bring back Lopez, the family can at least rest assured that the ones responsible for his death will be brought to justice.

That's because police have detained [the] two suspects and might have in their possession much more than a smoking gun.

ACP Chester Williams - O. C. Eastern South Division
"Police have since detained 2 suspects in respect to that incident. The suspects where on a motorcycle and they were seen fleeing the area. The clothing that the suspects were wearing at the time had blood stains on it or what appeared to be blood stains. So, from an investigating stand point, we believed that the suspects may have accosted the victim and they had a struggle and during the struggle the victim was shot. Hence, the blood we believed that was found on the clothing of the suspects, we believe that it is from the victim. So, we are in the process of packaging the shirts that the 2 suspects were wearing and they will be sent to the Miami DNA Lab for DNA testing for us to be able to determine whether or not the blood on the clothing that they had on has the same genetic makeup of that of the victim."

Today police remain active in the area for the possibilities of any counter retaliation. Reporting for 7 news, Emanuel Pech.

Investigators say the recent violence in the St. Martin's Area is as a result of ongoing rivalry between members of the PIV gang and the Back-a-Land gang.