That's a terrible story, but I'm afraid you missed part of my point. (or I posted the wrong link)
Nobody is denying that the scumbags who killed that little girl are gangbangers, or that that played a role in the shooting. In the case I posted, the authorities are trying to deny the connection between his religious/political beliefs and the fact he targeted a *catholic* religious supply shop. Why?
I'm a bit testy on the subject right now because of a recent incident here in Salem. 2 buildings were tagged with neo-nazi graffiti - the cops immediately proclaimed it had nothing to do with race/religion/politics. Then someone tagged a church (evangelical) with "666" and the cops instantly called it a religious hate crime. WTF? Favoritism much?