It's a violent crime spree: three men robbed and shot in three days, and police say the suspects are young teenagers.

Those shootings have all been in the Winburn neighborhood of Lexington. Police tell us each victim is Hispanic.

In the three separate incidents beginning Sunday, investigators began to notice similarities in the crimes. That all three victims were Hispanic led many to conclude that the victims were targeted because of their ethnicity, but some in the community dismissed speculation that these were hate crimes. "I don't think it's got nothing to do with the hate," said Ernie Hermosillo, who works in the area, "I think it has to do with the Spanish community, they're much easier targets because of the language barrier."

Hermosillo is the services manager at a housing complex near the shootings. He often acts as a translator for some in the community who don't speak English well. He believes the victims were chosen less because of their race, and more because of a perception of their behavior. "They work. They get paid. A lot of them they go cash the checks and they carry the money in their pockets," Hermosillo said, "Normally they don't go to banks. They don't call the police, so they're much easier targets than anybody else."

Police point out with each robbery, the motivation was money, and in each case the violence escalated after the victim refused to comply, leading investigators to rule out a hate crime.

"I speak English," Hermosillo explained, "If something happens to me, I call the police, but not everybody thinks the way I think. A lot of people, like I said, because of language, they're not going to call the police and say, look, I got robbed. They just keep quiet."

Hermosillo says in some cases undocumented workers may fear going to authorities could bring them more problems, but police urge anyone who has been the victim of a crime to come forward. It's the same recommendation Hermosillo makes to those who come to him for help. "I try to give advice to everybody. The papers don't have nothing to do with the crime. Even if you don't have papers, you still have rights. You still can call the police, and they'll help you," Hermosillo said.

Police describe the suspects in Tuesday's shooting as two African-American young men about fourteen or fifteen years old, who used a small handgun. In each case the suspects shot the victims in the leg.