Will Convictions Curb Gang Violence?

Two gang members face life in prison after a jury convicted them for A.D. Patton's murder.

We've learned a lot about the gang lifestyle in the last week and a lot of people we've talked to say gangs are a problem in Chattanooga. But now two gang members are going to prison and one family can start to heal.

"A.D. can rest in peace now and you know we're just enlighted, we're happy," Larry McCullough says.

It's a happiness Larry McCullough's been waiting two years for. Earlier today a jury convicted Skyline Bloodz leader Mike Daniels and Timothy Evans for murdering McCullough's cousin A.D. Patton.

A.D. Patton was shot and killed in the Emma Wheeler Housing Projects but Patton's cousin says he doesn't think that today's convictions will have much of an effect on gangs in Chattanooga.

"The gangs is getting out of hand, they got to get a hand on that, what so called gangs we got in Chattanooga," McCullough says.

"It's messed up man, im going to miss my brother, he's all I got," Orlando Evans says.

But now Orlando Evans' brother faces life in prison. Timothy Evans testified he shot Patton after following an order that came down from Daniels, who is also known as "Mike Mike".

"Without cussing, he can die in hell, Mike Mike that was low down, you gave that order, he can die in hell," Evans says.

"It's sad that someone had to go to jail for possibly all of his life because of it but he knew what the gang lifestyle was when he got into it and that's just apart of it," Sgt. Todd Royval says.

And it's a part of the gang lifestyle that Sgt. Todd Royval says he sees on a daily basis. And while Royval says he's glad the system convicted a gang leader like Daniels, the violence will likely continue.

"Somebody will just take over his spot, somebody's already on the streets right now running the shots on the streets while he's been in jail," Royval says.

But Royval says today's convictions are a step in the right direction and exemplify exactly what gang members should expect.

"You see what it got my brother, you see what my brother, what he in for this gang stuff?" Evans says.

"Is it worth getting a life sentence, is it worth losing your family, is it worth being locked up for the rest of your life? It's not, it's not, it's just stupid," McCullough says.

And police say this should be a gut check for every parent. They want parents to pay attention to their kids habits - the way they dress, the way they act, and who they hang out with, and try to spot any signs of gang behavior before it's too late.