The boy, an innocent victim of a drive-by shooting in Little Rock, Ark., wasn't in a gang, but rather, in bed when he was shot. He vowed revenge on the perpetrator.

It's part of the vicious cycle that has led to an epidemic claiming a young person's life every 90 minutes, said former Little Rock coroner Steve Nawojczyk, who tired of stuffing body bags with gang members and their victims, opting instead to enter the "hoods" of Little Rock and research this social phenomenon.

"Crip Tim" was a teen-ager who knew the streets and gangs were nowhere.

"If you ain't in a gang, don't get in, ain't no use for it." he says on a video, sitting in front of his gang's hang-out.

The 19-year-old was "caught between the devil and deep blue sea and couldn't get out," said Nawojczyk.

Later, during his research, Nawojczyk ran into Tim cradling his 19-month-old son, Tim, Jr. He asked Nawojczyk to help him get a job to take care of his child. Tim wanted to be a good father, wanted to be there for his son, unlike his father.

The next photo shows Crip Tim in a casket.

Then the retaliation begins, back and forth, leaving innocent victims in its wake.

In one case, three gang members drive to a rival gang member's house. A girl, thought to have killed one of their members, lives in the house.

One of the boys gets out of the car, goes to the door and asks for her, but her mother says she's not home. He leaves.

The three then go back to the house, enter, line up the girl's three siblings and shoot each one in the back of the head while their mother watches. The victims wee 10, 12 and 17 years old. Two were on the dean's list at school.

The story, a true one, is meant to teach kids to think about their families before getting involved with gangs.

"If you don't think about yourself today, think about your little brothers and sisters. They look up to you to teach them how to lead their lives," he said.

He also shows a video of a woman talking about losing her son in a gang shooting.

She begins talking matter-of-factly, then pauses as her loss becomes too unbearable to share.

"When you lose a child," she manages, "it's like you lose a part of yourself."

Kids considering being jumped into a gang, Nawojczyk said, should first consider their family.

"It's not just you, it's your little brother, your little sister, your niece, your grandmother, your grandfather."

It can even be a girlfriend cruising around with the boyfriend her mother warned her about, who is on a gang's hit list for any number of reasons. Both can end up dead, more statistics.

Nawojczyk encouraged his audience to think before making decisions.

"Adhere to rule, `Do Right.' I guarantee, if you do right, right will come to you," he said.

Many of the kids at Alta Vista said they were impressed by the presentation, others seemed more concerned about sounding "cool" when asked their opinion.

A group of young men circled around, admitting what they saw was more intense than the hype they see on television. They also said they would think twice before associating with gangs.

Twelve-year-old Deron Broughton said he "liked" the presentation. "I'm going to be nicer to my sister," he said, adding he's never considered joining a gang nor has he ever been approached by one.

"But if I do, I won't," he said.

Jermaine Alvarez, 11, said he knows "a bunch of people" in gangs, declining to reveal whether he is in one.

"I've been out on the streets and I know how it is," the boy said. "It (presentation) don't do nothing to change me."

He also said gangs are a place for kids who don't have families, or at least, families who care.

Thirteen-year-old Jennifer Woodward said Nawojczyk's show opened her eyes to what gang life is really about.

"They (TV) don't show what it does, how bad it is," she said. "I would never think about getting in a gang."

Nawojczyk emphasized the power young people today have to enrich each other's lives.

"There are more good guys and gals than bad. There are certainly more good young people than bad. You have young people that look up to you," he said.

Later, Nawojczyk said Carlsbad is fortunate to have law enforcement officials and citizens working to stop the gang problem before it gets out of hand, like it has in Little Rock.

"Gangs are strongest where communities are weakest," he said.

"People don't realize these guys do more for the community than the SWAT guys that bust through the doors," he said.