Citing a wave of violence rooted in turf battles back in New Orleans, Houston police on Friday identified 11 Hurricane Katrina evacuees as suspects in a string of homicides, robberies and kidnappings since November.

Eight of those men are already in custody. One of the three still at large is Ivroy Harris, 20, who goes by the nickname "B-Stupid" and was charged in the slaying of a man during a child's birthday party in New Orleans last May. At 16, Harris also was wanted in connection with a shooting outside a public housing complex after several people opened fire and one man was killed, according to a published report.

Also wanted is Travis Jordan, 21, who in 2003 was seen picking up a 9 mm pistol after a man was shot while watching a Mardi Gras parade. The outcome of the earlier cases against Harris and Jordan could not be determined Friday.

"We need to get those people off the streets as soon as possible," Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said at a news conference. "The safety of the city and evacuees depends on us apprehending these people as soon as possible."

On Friday, investigators with the Houston Police Department's recently formed gang murder squad announced a raft of charges against the 11 men. Three men in the group have been charged in connection with four homicides, although police say some of the members of the group may be responsible for as many as seven others. Nine of those slayings occurred in Houston and two in Pasadena.

Concentrated in southwest

Authorities attribute the violence to turf battles between residents of different public housing complexes that began in New Orleans and spilled into the Houston area after the Aug. 29 storm displaced hundreds of thousands of residents.

The homicides police attributed to these New Orleans gang tensions began Nov. 20 with a shooting at a pool hall during a publicity event and ended with the death of a 19-year-old in his apartment living room Jan. 2. Much of the crime occurred in southwest Houston, but the homicides include a Dec. 28 shooting involving evacuees staying at an Astrodome-area motel, where two groups of men fought throughout the building.

HPD homicide Capt. Dale Brown noted that many of those charged have extensive criminal records in New Orleans and that some had been jailed but were out on bail.

"We're going to hold them to the justice of Texas law," Brown said. "We think they are going to find things are a little bit different than in Louisiana. We're very aggressive in enforcing our laws in Texas. We're going to take care of our business."

Identifying the tensions between New Orleans rivals both helps to explain a number of slayings linked to Hurricane Katrina evacuees and the dramatic spike in homicides in southwest Houston — where certain areas saw the number of homicides triple late last year.

"At least now we know we have these problems, and that certainly helps with investigations," said Lt. H. Lopez, head of the gang murder squad, which will investigate gang-related killings. "I don't know that it explains all of the problems that we are having, but these cases show that a number of them are resulting from people from different groups in New Orleans clashing here."

At least 11 of the cases in which evacuees are suspects have been linked to rival gangs, but Lopez said gang tension did not prompt all of the homicides in which evacuees are suspects.

"There are isolated explanations for some of them," he said.

Across Houston, the homicide rate rose 23 percent last year, with the largest increases coming at the end of the year and in southwest Houston.

Two of the city's 20 police patrol districts accounted for more than a third of Houston's homicides in December. Those districts are in southwest Houston, where a number of homicides discussed Friday took place.

'A recognized name'

Houston police earlier said evacuees were involved, either as suspect or victim — or both — in 25 homicides.

Although all the suspects named Friday are considered to be "extremely violent," a New Orleans police official confirmed that Harris, whose name appears on some documents as "Ivory Harris," has been suspected in other slayings there. Capt. Juan Quinton with the New Orleans Police Department confirmed that Harris was arrested and charged in the May 12 slaying of Yoshio Watson, 30, during a child's birthday party. The shooting occurred during a period of escalating gun violence in the city.

A check by a criminal district clerk in New Orleans also found a second-degree murder charge on Harris was thrown out as well as a concealed weapons charge. No details could be determined.

"He's a recognized name in our law-enforcement community," said Quinton. "Somehow in a short time he was released. He's managed to elude the judicial system."

Harris was in custody in New Orleans after the Dec. 17 Houston homicide that he is a suspect in. New Orleans police arrested Harris in a criminal trespass case Jan. 4, but he was released that day on a $2,500 bond, according to jail records.

Harris cycled through the Orleans Parish jail at least six times last year after he was arrested on charges including disturbing the peace, illegal possession of a weapon and resisting an officer. Within days of each arrest, he was released on bail.

Many arrests for 1 man

Since 2002, Harris was arrested and released 19 times.

Harris has been charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping, and Houston police said he also is a suspect in a Dec. 17 slaying at 3300 West Sam Houston Parkway South. Police also suspect that homicide is connected to the Nov. 20 pool-hall killing.

Jordan is charged with aggravated robbery, and the third at-large suspect, Terrence Richards, 20, is charged with evading detention in a Webster Police Department case.

Police called on other evacuees to come forward with information about Harris, Jordan and Richards.

"We need them to step up regardless of their past experience," said Houston police Sgt. Brian Harris. "They are here now, and we're asking for their help. There are numerous witnesses to these cases. They don't have to live in fear."

New Orleans police also publicly announced the charges there in an effort to generate information.

Police say the suspects sometimes move between New Orleans and Houston.

Already in custody are: Kalvin Forcell, 21, charged with murder; Alvin Sims, 20, capital murder charges; Jason McMaster, 24, aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping charges; Cornelius Gordon, 21, charges of engaging in organized crime and possession of a weapon; Daryl Robinson, 27, murder charge; Tyler Mackyeon, 23, charge of deadly conduct and aggravated robbery; James Taylor, 24, charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; and Keith Ron Williams, 20, charge of assault-family violence.

Brown, the Houston homicide captain, had a warning for the suspects.

"We want to send a message," he said, "that you're not invisible anymore."

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