b'Corpus Christians who were shaken when they heard these stories in the news, all within a span of six weeks, might find some comfort in the fact that the crimes were carried out by members of the same, loosely-organized criminal gang. While the La Palmera robbery was a brazen, public event, it was a targeted heist and no one was hurt. The two violent home invasions that took place at private residences on Coleman Ave. and in London Club Estates, were in no way random but were directly associated with the victims apparent involvement in the illicit drug trade. The deaths of Deandre Mathis, Arturo Lopez and Miriam Lopez are no less tragic to their families, but any fair and honest-minded person must 106 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINEFEATURED: The Stories that Mattered TheCoastalBend.com'