Houston
Houston police have charged eight New Orleans gang members evacuated after Hurricane Katrina with killing 11 other storm refugees. Crime spiked in Houston last year after the storm, and murders jumped 50 percent this January over last. Authorities blame part of the rise on a small number of criminals among the 150,000 New Orleans residents the area took in. Police said the gangs also committed robberies and other violent crimes against Houston residents, but the murder victims all had New Orleans gang affiliations. The hurricane brought those rivalries to Houston, said Houston police spokesman Alvin Wright.
