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LAPD: DeSean Jackson wasn't involved in gang-related slayings

A LAPD Homicide detective said DeSean Jackson's ties to some Crip members was like 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.'

DeSean Jackson gestures in a photo he posted on Instagram.
DeSean Jackson gestures in a photo he posted on Instagram.Read more

THE LOS ANGELES Police Department has never accused DeSean Jackson of being a gang member.

And the NFL star, who was unceremoniously dumped yesterday by the Eagles, swears he's never been one.

But LA detectives were interested in the wide receiver's ties to reputed members of the Crips when they investigated separate gang-related homicides in 2011 and 2012.

"It's kind of like 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,' " LAPD Homicide Det. Chris Barling told the Daily News yesterday.

"When people grow up in neighborhoods where you have gang involvement, you don't have to look too far before you find a connection to a connection," he said.

"Now, how sinister that connection is, our position is that's for others to judge."

NJ.com published a bombshell report yesterday afternoon - shortly before the Eagles cut Jackson - that detailed concerns the team had about the 27-year-old's personal life, including his relationship with Theron Shakir, who was charged with the 2010 slaying of a 14-year-old in South Los Angeles over a possible gang-related beef.

Shakir, a purported member of the Crips who also has recorded songs for Jackson's record company, was later aquitted.

NJ.com posted a photo from Jackson's Instagram account of the three-time Pro Bowl wideout posing with Shakir, who was wearing an LA County Jail shirt. Other images showed Jackson flashing what appeared to be Crip signs with his hands.

Barling said another detective, Eric Crosson, called the Eagles in 2011 and asked for a security official, making it clear that he wanted to interview Jackson.

"They didn't return the call," Barling said, "but we came across a number for him and had a conversation. It was nothing confrontational; he answered our questions."

In 2012, the LAPD reached out to Jackson again after a gang-related slaying occurred in front of a property that was rented by Jackson's sister, Barling said.

The mercurial wide receiver didn't return their call this time. That case is still open, Barling said, but there is no evidence to suggest Jackson had any involvement.

"There's no other investigation that I'm aware of where Mr. Jackson's name has come up," he said. "It's clear he was not involved the homicides."

Jackson, a Los Angeles native, released a statement after the Eagles cut him, denying that he had ever been a member of a gang.

Some media reports speculated that Jackson's release could have been linked to questions the team had about a burglary of his South Philly home in January. In that incident, a $110,000 Rolex watch, $20,000 in cash and a Ruger handgun were reported stolen, Lt. John Stanford, a Philadelphia police spokesman, said yesterday.

"The case is still open," Stanford said. "We've never had any indication that it was a false report, or that there was some other issue involved."