Six reported drive-by shootings on the East Mesa "may be related and the same individuals may be involved,"

Six reported drive-by shootings on the East Mesa "may be related and the same individuals may be involved," according to Bo Nevarez, Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department investigator. "We believe those drive-bys are gang-related."In response to the rash of shootings, the department has dispatched additional patrols to the East Mesa area. "We're trying to be proactive, rather than reactive," Nevarez said. "(Deputies) will be specifically looking for anything suspicious in the area."As law enforcement continues to search for suspects in the shootings, the family of 21-year-old Jacob G. Gutierrez will prepare for the East Mesa man's funeral service today. Gutierrez was killed in the first of at least seven incidents in the county — a deadly drive-by shooting one week ago on Mesa Drive in Las Cruces. He sustained at least one gunshot wound to the chest and was later pronounced dead at University Medical Center, formerly Thomason Hospital, in El Paso.Detectives believe the victim was a passenger in one of two vehicles being driven north on Mesa Drive when he was shot and critically injured.
"He called my name ... "Dad, dad.' I heard his last words before he went to the hospital," Hector Gutierrez, 65, the victim's father, recalled of the night his son was shot. "It made me feel like I was dying with him."At least six drive-by shootings have been reported since the incident that claimed Gutierrez's life. "I want the violence to stop," Hector said. "I want peace and I want justice, justice, justice. No more killings."No arrests have been made in the shooting. Prior to a Rosary service on Wednesday, Hector recalled happier times with his son, including family fishing trips and cookouts. After attending Camino Real Middle School and Oñate High School in Las Cruces, Gutierrez earned his GED from the New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Roswell.Although he was scheduled to begin taking classes at the Doña Ana Community College next semester, Hector Gutierrez said his son dreamt of becoming an ultimate fighter and often practiced martial arts. Despite claims from other family members and friends that Gutierrez was a member of the East Side Locos gang, Hector denies his son's affiliation with the Las Cruces gang. Information found on Gutierrez's MySpace page also affirmed his allegiance to the local gang.Sanson Gutierrez, 20, the victim's brother, said the deadly shooting was "gang-relate