A journalist and former Virginia resident responded to former White House national security advisor Evan McMullin’s accusation that the Ed Gillespie campaign for governor is engaging in fear mongering by sharing a story about a brutal murder the MS-13 gang perpetrated one mile from her former home.
Someone was beheaded by MS-13 a mile from my old apartment. https://t.co/X1EhHyMSa4
— Christine Rousselle (@crousselle) November 7, 2017
The murder Rouselle is referencing occurred in Alexandria, Va., in November, 2016. Ferman Perez, 24, was found “nearly decapitated” in Beverley Park. An unnamed 17-year-old male member of MS-13 was charged with the murder, which was one of four MS-13 linked murders that occurred in the Alexandria area between April and December of 2016. The FBI reports the gang is continuing to expand at an unprecedented pace and is now present in almost every state.
McMullin’s tweet prompted backlash among some Virginians, who tweeted out links to reports of other gangland killings and chastised the former Republican chief House policy director for telling locals what issues to prioritize in a state race.
I can walk to the sites of multiple MS-13 murders from my house in NoVa. Maybe stay out of local politics? https://t.co/ucLfHGvqSm
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) November 7, 2017
My wife was in WJCC Schools for many years. The level of MS-13 starting in middle school is staggering. Get over yourself Evan!
— Chris Lively (@clivelyone75) November 7, 2017
Gillespie’s campaign effectively elevated the issue of crime and the prevalence of the violent central American gang MS-13 throughout the race. The Gillespie campaign ran numerous attack ads tying Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s legislative record to the gang’s expansion in northern Virginia.
Northam, the Democratic candidate, voted against a bill in 2016 that would have outlawed sanctuary cities. He has accused Gillespie of artificially inflating the issue of illegal immigration and crime, pointing out that there are currently no sanctuary cities in the commonwealth.
Critics have accused Gillespie of exaggerating the number of violent gang members in Virginia. In one ad he claims there are 2,000 MS-13 members in Fairfax County alone. A recent fact check conducted by The Washington Post cited a police spokesman who placed the number of MS-13 members at roughly 1,400.
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