Possible Drug, Gang Links Explored in Longview Homicide, Fires

LONGVIEW — The Longview home where a man was found fatally shot late Friday was owned by a woman whose home was set on fire early Sunday morning, online appraisal district records show. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The 12th Street house where Tony Bernard Nelson, 20, was found shot is owned by Ayannia Tian Donahue, according to Gregg County Appraisal District online records. The home was a known drug location, Longview police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said Tuesday.

According to 2008 booking information in Gregg County jail records and an address search Wednesday at Whitepages.com, Donahue has been listed as living at a home targeted for arson early Sunday morning on Butler Drive. A second fire was reported about 2:25 a.m. Sunday involving a pickup in the back lawn area on Oden Street. Bothhomes are owned by Gwendolyn Johnson Neal, according to Gregg County Appraisal District records.

“(The truck fire) was the same time the fire was going on over on Butler, because I came through here first when they called me about the (house) fire, and it wasn’t anything going on,” said Joseph Brice, 40, of Longview, who lives at the home on Oden Street. “By the time I made it to the (Butler Drive) fire, I heard the dispatch say it was a truck was on fire on Oden, and I told them, ‘That’s my house.’ By the time we made it over here, the truck was burnt up, and the house had got shot up.”

Brice said he thinks whoever started the Sunday morning fire on Butler Drive then doubled back to Oden Street and set the pickup on fire, he said Wednesday. “When stuff is going on like this, when you’re fighting a ghost, you can’t be nothing but in jeopardy because you don’t even know who you’re fighting,” he said. “It’s just different little youngsters; it’s like a gang now. It’s so many of them, you can’t really tell who did it, which one of them did it. I know it was TYB, I know it; I just don’t know which one of them.” TYB has been identified as a Longview gang by Longview police.

Because the arsons are being investigated by Longview fire, police could not comment on whether gangs are involved, Brian said Wednesday. Longview fire officials were not able to say Wednesday whether gang activity played a part in Sunday’s arsons, Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said. The weekend arsons are among several that have taken place in the past week in Longview. There’s no official word on any connection among the fires.