I Love Him, But I Dont Know If I Should Be With Him!

Ok i like this guy named juan. I met him in the 9th grade. In 7th and 8th grade he went out with one of my friends (but at the time, me and him didnt even know each other) then they broke up. The day i told my friend that i liked him, that same day, she started going back out with him! i was sooo mad! i didnt know what to do, but i figured a guy isnt something worth loosing a friend over, so i just ignored them! then as the time went on, i started likin him even more and couldnt help my self! then comes to find out, she was cheatin on him the entire time! i was sooo mad! so i didnt everything in my power to get him to leave her! but he didnt until weeks later! so then we started talkin even more! i started callin him everynight and the nights i didnt call him, he would call me! so as the time started going by, i started fallin for him!! everyday in class, he would flirt like crazy!! sounds like a perfect start huh? well there is a twist! ............ He is in a gang! he is a xv3! but i cant say i didnt know, i knew since the begining! but one day, he was caught by the cops for being with him friends while they shot this black guy in my school! so he got sent to juvenile for about 2 weeks then him mom got him out, and then had to spend the rest of the year in an alternative school! so me and him really didnt talk for a while, til one night, he texted my cell, askin what time i was going to sleep! when i asked him why, he said cause he wanted to call me later when his bro. Got back home with his cell! so i told him to call at any time! and he asked me "so if i call you at 12am its ok?" and i said "yes, but why so late?" he said, "i dont know, i just know that i love you!!" i was soooo shocked! i didnt know what to do! so, that night he called me and we talked for a good 3 hours! and like, 15 minutes before we hung up, i asked him why he had sent that message! and all he told me was, "oh, well i just thought that i would tell you how i felt about you!!" at the time i was all happy! he called me like evey other night! and every time we were going to hang up, he would tell me he loved me!!
I finally got him to say he loved me back, and i love it! but the thing is, all my friends tell me that he isnt worth my time! they all say he is no good! *because he is in a gang!* but i dont care! even though he had to move to down town dalllas and i still live here in arlington! i still love him!! but my question is, "is he really worth my time?"
Should i keep on going on like i have in the past , ignoring the fact that he is in a gang? and that there is always the chance that he can be shot or killed at any moment??!! i love him!!!!
But is he worth it??
I need help