Perhaps it WAS NOT a "gang initiation act", but rather a gang interaction due to drug buy/sell. Perhaps it was a drug task force situation gone bad...way bad.
http://www.valleynewslive.com/story/26512825/police-want-businesses-alert-for-gang-members
"There are gangs in Fargo, there have been for some time, the amount and where they have originated have changed but there is some level of gang activity in the city of Fargo," says Fargo Police Deputy Chief Pat Claus.
Claus says Fargo has several different confirmed local and national gangs in our area.
Police say there is nothing specific you can do about the increased gang-related activity, but just be alert and attentive around your neighborhood.
http://www.wday.com/content/gang-activity-rise-fargo
gang activity is on the rise in Fargo-Moorhead.
And Fargo Police say they're trying to get ahead of it before it becomes a major problem.
Police say in a three-week period this July and August, they tracked 26 encounters with 18 people spanning nine different gangs.
The crimes those gang members were involved in include assaults, thefts, burglaries, drugs, and weapons violations.
Deputy Chief Pat Claus says the department has been tracking it since the early 90s, and since then, have had interactions with members of 93 different gangs.
http://www.wday.com/content/several-theories-rumors-surrounding-bearsons-death-few-answers
One of those speculations includes talk of a "gang initiation act."
But Jacobson says that's one of many tips they've received.
Jacobson: "It's on the table the same as anything else, but certainly, it should not be getting a life of its own."
And he says so far, there's no evidence connecting community gang activity to Bearson's murder.
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_26601144/police-still-searching-clues-teens-death
Ebinger said that while it's not yet clear if it's a criminal investigation, it has to be approached as if there was foul play because of the "suspicious increments" involved