The Sandlot

It may have been an ambush as some papers implied or, most likely, it was meeting or truce between St. Louis' Russo gang and members of the Cuckoo gang, that turned sour. What is known is that on July 25, 1928, three members of the Russo gang: Jimmy Russo, Mike Longo and Jack Griffin. Met with a few Cuckoo gangsters, probably Tommy Hayes and a few of his minions.

The meet took place in a vacant lot, where a house used by Hayes once stood.  There were neighboring houses and witnesses in adjoining yards who witnessed the shooting. One of them, who knew Russo and Longo and said he'd seen them there numerous times, stated that while looking over the fence, he saw the gangsters tossing a ball around. All was peaceful until, "Suddenly they began to argue hotly over something.,,Longo and Russo and two others began fist fighting." The witness went on to say that Russo pulled a .45 and started shooting. After that everyone drew guns and started blasting away at each other. It was at this time that the witness stated that another man sprang from a Chrysler with a Thompson machine gun and yelled, "Give it to 'em boys! They ain't any good anyhow. Give it to them good!" Then he lit up the yard with a number of blasts.

Russo and Longo dropped dead. Griffin, with half a dozen shots in his right shoulder and chest fell but managed to crawl to a neighboring house after the Cuckoos fled the seen. A short time later, gunmen invaded the store of a Russo ally and wounded three men. It appears, that after the sandlot battle, the gunmen attempted to wipe out the whole Russo operation.

The fact that the battle was started by Russo and took place in the middle of the afternoon with witnesses nearby lends credence to fact that it was a spur of the moment fight and not a planned ambush. The guy with the Tommy gun was probably there for just such an occurrence. 

Jimmy Russo            Mike Longo                   Jack Griffin