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Most Rev. Gregory J. Hartmayer, Catholic Bishop of Savannah, will celebrate Mass for the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, now Pope Francis I, at noon tomorrow, March 14 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Bishop Hartmayer’s video statement welcoming the new pope is here.

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are investigating the shooting death of a 33-year-old man on West Bay Street this morning. Downtown Precinct patrol officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 1300 block about 1:03 a.m. and found the victim had expired.

Identification has been withheld until family members can be notified.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). In the body type, include “CStop2020” plus the tip. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124.

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police arrested 24 suspects in their third Total Focus operation of the year this weekend in a continuing effort to lower crime.

More than 60 officers from SCMPD Patrol, Crime Suppression Units, K9, Aviation and SWAT, joined by Officers from the Savannah Impact Program, Probation and Parole, Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Chatham County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted rolling saturations of various areas.

The effort led to 11 felony arrests, 13 misdemeanor arrests, 61 field interviews, 123 traffic citations, 23 home visits to Savannah Impact Program clients, 56 Probation and Parole contacts, 12 Department of Juvenile Justice curfew checks and the recovery of two firearms, a stolen vehicle, items stolen in burglaries, and drugs.

On both nights, the operation evolved into street support for the downtown area that experienced unusual crowds associated with pre-St. Patrick’s Day Festival activities.

• A 'drug suspect,' according to police

The saturation efforts are balanced by daytime visits to neighborhoods to greet residents and build rapport, removal of tennis shoes from power lines which are associated with drug sales, and building neighborhood watch groups in areas that have none.

“We’ll keep doing this as long and as often as we can,” Chief Willie Lovett said. “It uses a lot of resources but has a tremendous effect on crime in the area and establishing relationships with residents that helps them feel safer in their neighborhoods.”

This weekend’s operation was preceded by a smaller venture on the 200 block of West 39th Street by Central Precinct Crime Suppression Units supported by SWAT, K9, ATF and Sheriff’s deputies as well as weapons, juvenile and Crime Prevention Officers.

The 39th Street operation followed up on requests from residents to both SCMPD and City Hall to address drug sales in the neighborhood. SWAT officers served a search warrant on a house there that yielded four felony and two misdemeanor drug possession arrests as well as the recovery of illegal drugs.

Undercover Officers on Friday night located a stolen Chrysler 300 that was used to commit burglaries parked in the 2100 block of N. Fernwood Drive. Officers waited until a suspect approached the car and began a foot pursuit when he ran. Canine officer Flash ended the pursuit.

Police found keys to the stolen car on the suspect and a second suspect in the house he had left who was charged with possession of marijuana. Items stolen in recent burglaries were found in the car and in the residence of one of the suspects.

Larry D. Cope was charged with theft by receiving stolen property (auto), Antoinio Clark was charged with being party to the crime of theft by receiving stolen property (auto), and the investigation continues into the theft and burglaries.

Later Friday night a saturation of the area around West Lake Apartments in West Chatham precinct led to the arrest of a suspect on possession of marijuana charges. The suspect resisted arrest and one officer was treated for an injury to his face.

On Saturday, Southside officers recovered three televisions and a watch stolen in burglaries on Talina Circle. Later, officers stopped a suspicious vehicle on the 1200 block of East 56th Street and arrested the driver for misdemeanor drug charges. They found more than $1,700 in cash and equipment believed to have been used in the transportation of drugs in the back of the car.

Indeed, what better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and all things Irish than by driving around in an enormous facsimile of a German food item? You might well ask.

"Hot dogger" Lisa Rosenblum is driving one of the six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles to Krogers across the country. You can see the suggestive vehicle in all its glory Saturday, March 16 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the downtown Kroger at 311 E. Gwinnett St., 2-5 p.m. at the McAlpin Square Kroger at 1900 E. Victory Dr., the Richmond Hill Kroger on Sun. March 17 10 a.m.-1 p.m., and the Ogeechee Road Kroger from 2-5 p.m. Sunday.

• Whoomp there it is

At these events they will hand out $1 off coupons for Oscar Mayer Selects, playing fun activities with families and handing out the "iconic Wiener Whistles."

Lisa's co-driver Hot Diggity Holly are two of twelve Hotdoggers selected from over 1,200 applicants for this one-year opportunity to drive the fleet of Wienermobiles. Check out their Hotdogger Blog at hotdoggerblog.com

A 26-year-old Brunswick man was arrested this morning after he climbed aboard the Savannah River Queen and damaged equipment. He told officers "the boat had angered him because of the way it was looking at him."

William Cole was apprehended after a witness alerted them about 5 a.m. that a shirtless man had climbed atop the Savannah River Queen and was breaking items off the boat. He has been charged with criminal damage to property.

Cole was holding an antenna to the boat’s radio equipment in his hands atop the wheel house when police arrived. Damage to the boat before he was arrested was estimated at about $20,000.

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) will host an open house to display its new Mobile Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Emergency Communications Trailer, two Big Brother type vehicles designed to enhance public safety in times of crisis or just special events like St. Patrick's Day.

They will both be on display this Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. in front of the Old County Courthouse on President Street between Drayton and Bull.

• CEMA's Mobile Emergency Operations Center

The completely self-contained mobile EOC "enables CEMA to position a forward command post for response to inter-agency emergencies such as the Sugar Refinery explosion, wildfires and Search and Rescue operations," CEMA tells us.

It can also be used to support special events like the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon and St. Patrick’s Day, hence the open house, uh, open trailer, this Wednesday.

The mobile EOC can operate for extended periods with either its self-contained generator or external power. It has a 48-foot electronically telescopic audio-video antenna for command and control operations and a live video feed from the Mosquito Control helicopter (which doubles as the police helicopter).

The Communications Trailer is equipped with a 24-inch mapping plotter and hi-speed color Laserjet printer; it also has four satellite telephones. Like the mobile EOC, the trailer has an electronically telescopic audio-video antenna for a live pilot’s-view-video from the helicopter.

The two vehicles will be used for the first time this St. Patrick’s Day weekend along General Macintosh Boulevard above the old Georgia Power building.

Both vehicles were fully funded by Federal grants, if you're wondering.

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are searching for a Rincon man who shot his former girlfriend early this morning in Savannah and later escaped from a barricaded situation in Rincon.

Cori Rayshan Hines, 27, is being sought for the shooting of Serina Speights at her apartment in the Oaks at Brandlewood Apartments on Garrard Avenue about 2:30 a.m. today. The shooting followed a confrontation at her apartment.

Speights was treated for her injury at Memorial University Medical Center and released later in the day. Hines left the apartment in a black Toyota Camry.

A few hours later, Rincon police were advised that the Camry was in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Town Park West Drive and Hines was in an apartment he shares with another woman.

Rincon police made several attempts to contact him at the apartment and elevated the situation to a barricaded gunman standoff, calling in Effingham County Sheriff’s deputies and the SCMPD SWAT and K9 teams, as well as Rincon Fire and EMS. After several hours it was determined that Hines had left the building.

A warrant for aggravated assault has been issued for Hines.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). In the body type, include “CStop2020” plus the tip. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124.

The St. Patrick's Day celebrations more or less kind of officially started today with the annual Greening of the Fountain in Forsyth Park. Yup, it's pretty much just dyeing the water green but it's pretty cool anyway. Here's a photo our Jessica Leigh Lebos sent us from the scene a little while ago.

• Jessica Leigh Lebos
• Greening of the Forsyth Park Fountain

A 22-year-old Savannah man is in serious condition after the car he was driving crashed into a tree on Waters Avenue this morning.

Tyrone Griffin was driving north on Waters near Althea Parkway at 3:11 a.m. when the 1999 Honda Accord crossed the center line into the southbound lane. Police say he overcorrected and lost control of the car which slid back across the northbound lane and into a tree.

Extrication units from the Savannah Fire Department dismantled the car to remove the victim who was transported to Memorial University Medical Center.

The Major Accident Investigation Team of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the accident.

A Savannah murder suspect and a Metro police officer he shot escaped serious injury after a pursuit of a stolen police car ended in a crash and shootout on Interstate 16 Wednesday night.

Anthony B. Parrish Jr., 21, and Officer Rebecca Gregory were transported to Memorial University Medical Center. Both were treated for non-life threatening wounds and released. The officer’s cellphone deflected the bullet that struck her leg.

The crash was preceded by a pursuit in which Parrish had deliberately driven the stolen police car directly at an officer in an attempt to strike him, three times crossed a center line into oncoming traffic and finally crashed into the wood line of I-16 between the Interstate 516 and Chatham Parkway exits.

There he opened fire on a pursuing police car before other officers fired back at him. Westbound lanes of the interstate were closed from 6:45 p.m. until 1:20 a.m. for the investigation.

Parrish already was being sought by Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police who earlier in the day had charged him with the murder of Marray Martin, 20, at a party on Florida Avenue Feb. 24th.

In addition to the murder, Parrish has been charged with hijacking a motor vehicle, armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a police officer, theft by taking, criminal attempt and criminal attempt at murder, possession of a firearm in committing a crime and fleeing to elude police officers.

SCMPD Central Precinct Crime Suppression and TRAP Units already were scouring the Cuyler-Brownsville neighborhood for Parrish when he and another man stole a 2010 Chevrolet at gunpoint across town in the 800 block of West 33rd Street about 6:35 p.m.

Police quickly located the stolen car and followed it to West 40th Street and Burroughs where Parrish and his accomplice exited and ran in different directions. One officer left his patrol car to confront the other suspect as Parrish circled around a house and jumped into his police car and drove away. He drove the stolen car toward another officer who avoided injury by diving into his own patrol car.

Police pursued the stolen police car east on 37th Street until Parrish turned into oncoming traffic, speeding west onto the I-16 connector and the interstate. There he again crossed the center line three times before crashing into the wood line to avoid tire spikes that police had placed across the highway.

An extensive search for the other suspect was conducted in the area where the Chevrolet had been abandoned. Today, Metro patrol, Canine and TRAP officers along with U.S. Marshals from the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Nathaniel Johnson. He has been charged with being party to the crime of murder, party to the crime of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime. From Wednesday’s incident, he is charged with possession of a firearm in commission of a crime, armed robbery, aggravated assault and hijacking a motor vehicle.

The investigation into the auto thefts, shootings and the homicide as well as potentially other crimes is continuing.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). In the body type, include “CStop2020” plus the tip. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124. Callers preferring to speak directly to the detectives without reward potential can arrange private discussions.