Damn, What Bad Timing

We swear, the criminal element must have some kind of "turning their life around" radar, because it always seems to be the case when we find out some "former" criminal dead on the streets - or in car trunks:

• As a volunteer with the anti-violence group Ceasefire, 28-year-old Hector "Smurf" Romero worked to stop gang shootings.

  Now his family fears he was one of three victims of the Southwest Side's second gangland-style triple killing in a month.

• Tio Hardiman, director of Ceasefire Illinois, said Romero volunteered more than a year ago for the anti-violence organization.

  Working as a violence "interrupter," he mediated disputes in East Ukrainian Village, Hardiman said. "You need guys with street credibility and guys who can get in, make sense of madness and bring guys around," Hardiman said.

  "Hector told me personally he was trying to go in another direction," he added. "I just wish he was able to reach out to somebody before this happened."

Every single time, they're on the road to "turning it around" and then BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM - they get shot 3 or 4 times with two of their closest associates and stuffed into trunks. It's almost like their lives were destined to end this way no matter how many times they tried to "turn it around."

Remember when J-Fled told the media (with a straight face) that we used to be able to go to gang leaders and tell them to "knock it off"?

Hey Tio? KNOCK IT OFF!