A vehicle fire on the Talmadge Memorial Bridge shut down the bridge Friday evening. It came at the end of a week in which the city of Savannah and its residents grappled with the issue of gangs and gunfire. So far, however, no one has connected the fire to either issue.
The fire was brought under control by 7:16 p.m., according to fire officials. There were no injuries reported in the fire. Details regarding the cause of the fire have not been released by officials, reports WJCL.
Officials have not said the fire was arson, and so far there has been no connection made between the fire and any gang. Vehicles catch fire for many reasons and fire officials would have to investigate to determine the cause.
The question hangs over the city because of a shooting two weeks earlier in downtown Savannah. On Saturday, Sept. 26, officers of the Savannah Police Department were dispatched to a ShotSpotter alert near the parking lot of the Holiday Inn located on Bay Street. Upon arrival, they found that at least 27 rounds of ammunition had been fired and found 64 spent casings from four different calibers of ammunition as well as a handgun that had been fired, leaving several cars in the lot to sustain damage from the bullets. Although a person of interest was detained in connection with the incident, no arrests have been announced in connection with the shooting.
Chatham County Sheriff Richard Coleman called the shooting gang activity. “These behaviors are tied to gangs. They strike fear, they don’t care. And they’re reckless in their conduct,” he said. He has not found any physical evidence to confirm a gang link, WJCL reported, however.
The Sheriff announced a new gang enforcement unit on Oct. 1 and released a list of 18 different gangs he said are operating in the area. Of those listed, four are affiliated with the Crips, five are affiliated with the Bloods, and one is affiliated with the Vicelords, while the remaining eight are local “street gangs.” The Sheriff told gang members they had until that day to stop their activity.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson called video of the shooting “disturbing and unacceptable” in a statement. He cautioned however that the Mayor’s Office would not present speculation as fact and the Savannah Police Department is investigating the case and has a gang unit already in place to investigate gang activity.
At least two vehicles are said to have burned in Savannah this week, but only the Talmadge Memorial Bridge fire has been extensively publicly reported so far. Police and the fire department have not said whether any are under investigation, and nothing in the public record links the fires to each other or to any gang. We will update this story as we learn more.
