17-Year-Old Stanford football recruit shot dead in Los Angeles

Is this how it really works? If you don't answer you get gunned down for no reason? WTF!!!



http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/03/10/gang.killing/index.html




LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Jamiel Shaw was just three doors from his house on March 2. His father told the 17-year-old high school football star to be home before dark. That is exactly what he was trying to do when, just before dusk, gunshots rang out.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!-- PURGE: /2008/CRIME/03/10/gang.killing/art.jamiel.ap.jpg --><!-- KEEP --> Jamiel Shaw had been recruited by Stanford University. He was gunned down just outside his home.


<!-- /PURGE: /2008/CRIME/03/10/gang.killing/art.jamiel.ap.jpg -->
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript _extended="true"> var CNN_ArticleChanger = new CNN_imageChanger('cnnImgChngr','/2008/CRIME/03/10/gang.killing/imgChng/p1-0.init.exclude.html',2,1);//CNN.imageChanger.load('cnnImgChngr','imgChng/p1-0.exclude.html');</SCRIPT><!--endclickprintexclude-->Gang members pulled up in a car and asked Shaw if he was in a gang. Shaw didn't have time to tell them "no." He was mowed down before he could answer, police say.
His dad heard the shots from inside his house and immediately called his son's cell phone to warn him to stay away. But within seconds, the father realized what had happened.
"I just ran down there," Jamiel Shaw Sr. told CNN. Watch dad describe hearing "pow, pow" »
His son was wearing the same shirt his dad had pressed for him that morning. "He was laying on the ground and his face was so peaceful. I knew he was dead."
"For three hours, I was just completely blacked out walking."
More than 7,500 miles away, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw was serving her second tour in Iraq. Her commanding officer called her into his office and told her to sit down next to the chaplain. He then informed her that her son had been killed on the streets of Los Angeles.
"I freaked out," she said. "I wanted to run out of the room. I was screaming and kicking. I was shouting, 'No.'"
Anita Shaw is now back in Los Angeles to bury her son. Hundreds of family members and friends are expected to attend the funeral Tuesday for Shaw, a standout running back and sprinter at Los Angeles High School who had good grades and stayed out of trouble despite his rough neighborhood. Among the schools recruiting him was Stanford University.
"He was a Christian and I thank God for that because I know he's in a better place," his mom said, trembling as she sobbed. "He'd just try all the time to do the right thing. He was so good."
Shaw is one of several innocent victims in a horrifying three-week spate of gang-related shootings around Los Angeles. A man was gunned down as he held a 2-year-old baby in his arms. A 13-year-old boy was shot to death last week as he went to pick lemons from a tree. In another incident, a 6-year-old boy was critically wounded when he was shot in the head while riding in the car with his family; two gang members have been arrested in connection with that shooting, according to police.
"I think what is particularly unnerving for all of us is just the random nature of these shootings," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said last week.
Nobody has been arrested in connection with the shooting of Shaw, although police have said they believe the shooters were Hispanic gang members.
<!--startclickprintexclude-->
<!--endclickprintexclude-->Police Chief William Bratton and Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner met with community members from the South Side of Los Angeles over the weekend to try to calm tensions between black and Hispanic communities. Among those in attendance were Shaw's parents and his younger brother.
Bratton acknowledged some neighborhoods are rife with underlying racial tensions that have "taken too many young lives." He said he is in the process of hiring 1,000 new police officers to help combat inner city gang violence. Watch Bratton describe an "always underlying tension" »
"There's no denying that some of the crime in this city is a direct result of hatred, animosity, racial animosity, ethnic differences," Bratton said. "We must all work to the best of our ability to try to prevent that."
"None of it is right," said Garner. "We can't get so incensed that we lose focus that it's going on on both sides."
He added, "Wrong is wrong."
The killing of Shaw has rallied his neighborhood. Dozens of people gathered outside his home for a vigil last week and placed candles, flowers and blue-and-white balloons (his team colors) at a makeshift memorial. One sign read, "We love you! Jamiel Shaw."
On the online social networking site Facebook, more than 100 people have joined a page called "Good people live in our hearts forever RIP Jamiel Shaw."
"Loved you lots babyboi! Still do! I know many, many, many people who are missing you right NOW!!!" wrote Christina Stewart on the Facebook wall.
Another person, Harley Lally, wrote, "Football will never be the same without you. I miss you every Sunday, and every time I step on that field."
Shaw, a junior, carried the ball 74 times for 1,052 yards this season, with an average of 14.2 yards per carry, according to MaxPreps Web site. The longest of his 10 touchdowns went for 75 yards.
He passed the ball one time all year in the last game of the season -- the last game of his career. It was a 60-yard touchdown strike. Watch mom's Thanksgiving message to son from Iraq »

But he will be missed for more than his football. The beloved player with the big smile meant so much more.
The father and son years ago had made a pact: Keep focused, stay away from drugs and gangs, and get into college on an athletic scholarship. In return, the dad promised to do everything for his son, nicknamed "Jazz," to make that happen.
Breaking down in tears, the father said, "I guaranteed 'Jazz.' That's why it hurts so much -- because I told him, 'I promise you, if you sacrifice these years, I'll sacrifice with you.'"


<!--endclickprintexclude-->The dad said more must be done to combat gang violence. "It's a gang problem and they have nothing in their heart for people."
Shaw's mother, the Army sergeant, compares the gang members who killed her son to those she's fighting against in Iraq. "To me, they're terrorists."<!--startclickprintexclude-->

damn

Only the good die young


RIP really seemed like a great kid

track' until fatal gunfire

Jamiel Shaw Jr. , 17, was shot and killed near his home Sunday evening. He had been named Most Valuable Player by Los Angeles High School.


[COLOR=#333333! important]Football player's dreams die in a flurry of bullets in South L.A.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#999999! important]By Paloma Esquivel, Paul Pringle and Francisco Vara-Orta, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
March 4, 2008 [/COLOR]
Stanford University called about Jamiel Shaw a week or so ago, intrigued by the slight but speedy running back for Los Angeles High School, the Southern League's most valuable player last year. Rutgers University called a few days later.

The Shaw family already had reason to be proud. Jamiel's mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, was on her second tour of duty in Iraq.

Father
click to enlarge




On Sunday night, it was Jamiel's father on the phone and then his son's girlfriend, Chrystale Miles. Jamiel Sr. called to tell him to hurry home from the mall. The 17-year-old boy was three doors away when someone shot him to death while he was still talking on his cellphone to Chrystale, friends say.

Jamiel Sr. heard the shots almost as soon as he hung up. He ran out of the house, raced around the corner and found his son lying on the sidewalk, bleeding.

"She's over there trying to protect us from guns and bombs, and then she has to hear that her son is dead over here," he said of Anita on Monday. "I've got my own personal Iraq now."

Los Angeles police officials described the killing as random and senseless, cutting down a youth who had been doing everything right in his life -- from hitting the books to never missing church to inspiring the Los Angeles High Romans to last year's Southern League title.

A police spokeswoman said two Latino men pulled up in a car, jumped out, asked Jamiel if he belonged to a gang, and shot him when he didn't answer. She said Jamiel was not affiliated with a gang and that detectives had no suspects.

Anita Shaw was flying back from Iraq on Monday, family members said.

"She called crying, saying, 'Tell me it's not my son,' " said Jamiel's aunt, Althea Shaw. "She was so proud. She felt he had made it through the hard times. She still called him her baby, even though he was taller than her."

Jamiel Sr. said he had "an 18-year plan" for their son, whose ultimate goal was to become a sports agent: "I would tell him, 'I'm going to get you to 18, and if you do what you're supposed to do, you'll get to college,' " the father recalled. "He was almost there."

The youth's football coach, Hardy Williams, was with the family Monday at their 5th Avenue home, where Jamiel's trophies and medals lined the mantel. His 9-year-old brother, Thomas, wore Jamiel's favorite Atlanta Braves cap. Tears flowed.

"He was a very special kid," Williams said. "Not only was he an outstanding athlete, he was a good person. I've never seen Jamiel mad. He had such a big smile."

The coach described his standout player as "a Houdini on the football field," and the numbers backed it up. As a junior, Jamiel rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year, averaging just over 14 yards per carry. An invitational All-City first-team selection, he scored 11 touchdowns, returned punts and kickoffs, and played defensive back. He also competed in track.

Hours before he was shot, Jamiel had spent the day at a football camp at Pasadena City College, Williams said.

"Stanford just called me about his transcripts," he said. "Rutgers called a couple of days ago. He was just on track. . . . He was very elated."

Jamiel's teammates called him the "the spirit of the team."

"I went through most of today thinking it was all a joke," Colletti Scorza, an 18-year-old junior, said of his death. "I thought he'd make it to college on a football scholarship and then be in the NFL someday. . . .

"I don't know how we're going to fill the void on the team and as our friend."

Scorza and another teammate, Rayvione Mouton, 16, had hung out with Jamiel on Friday.

"I remember I told him, 'I'll see you Monday!' " Rayvione said. "But now I know I won't ever see him again."

The two students said gang violence is less common in Jamiel's neighborhood than in areas south and east of L.A. High. They also said there had been no tensions between blacks and Latinos. Jamiel was black.

Chrystale's brother, Romans defensive end Willie Miles, said she was not up to speaking late Monday. He said she told him she was talking to Jamiel on his cellphone when she heard the car pull up and someone ask him "where he was from," code for which gang he belonged to.

Miles said his sister heard what she later realized was gunfire.

"It was like a long gust of wind," he said. "The phone went dead after that."

On the sidewalk where Jamiel fell, mourners created a memorial of blue and white candles and flowers, L.A. High's colors.

Jamiel Sr. recalled the horror of seeing his son down on the pavement, and said that his boy had never missed a game because of an injury.

"When he went on the field, he never came out," the father said. "He'd never been hurt. This is the first time I saw him hurt."

fucking scumbag gangbangers.
lapd just needs to kill them all. no trial..no prison .just line them up and kill them all

I'm going to say something that's very unpopular but I'm an American living in the United Kingdom and this kind of stuff just doesn't happen here. It doesn't happen because there are no guns on the streets. Yes people get killed but it doesn't come close to the rate per the population as in the states.

It's time something is done. Far too many young people are dying by gunfire. I'm sorry to say I think the Europeans have this one right as much as I believe in the right to carry firearms our founding fathers didn't envision an America with automatic weapons.

Let the bashing begin but it's only one guy's opinion who's lived in many different cultures.

P.S. I know someone's going to say guns don't kill people but people kill people and that's true enough but if the guns aren't available then people can't use them.

Boss Hog said:

I'm going to say something that's very unpopular but I'm an American living in the United Kingdom and this kind of stuff just doesn't happen here. It doesn't happen because there are no guns on the streets. Yes people get killed but it doesn't come close to the rate per the population as in the states.

It's time something is done. Far too many young people are dying by gunfire. I'm sorry to say I think the Europeans have this one right as much as I believe in the right to carry firearms our founding fathers didn't envision an America with automatic weapons.

Let the bashing begin but it's only one guy's opinion who's lived in many different cultures.

P.S. I know someone's going to say guns don't kill people but people kill people and that's true enough but if the guns aren't available then people can't use them.

Click to expand...

i agree and most of crimes here(school shootings i.e.) are committed with legally purchased guns

steak tartar said:

i agree and most of crimes here(school shootings i.e.) are committed with legally purchased guns

Click to expand...

I think we'd all be astonished at the drop in crime rate if we made it illegal to own a firearm. The murder rate would drop by more than 50% in my opinion.

Boss Hog said:

I'm going to say something that's very unpopular but I'm an American living in the United Kingdom and this kind of stuff just doesn't happen here. It doesn't happen because there are no guns on the streets. Yes people get killed but it doesn't come close to the rate per the population as in the states.

It's time something is done. Far too many young people are dying by gunfire. I'm sorry to say I think the Europeans have this one right as much as I believe in the right to carry firearms our founding fathers didn't envision an America with automatic weapons.

Let the bashing begin but it's only one guy's opinion who's lived in many different cultures.

P.S. I know someone's going to say guns don't kill people but people kill people and that's true enough but if the guns aren't available then people can't use them.

Click to expand...

I agree with you but either way, if guns were banned and illegal...People would still get there hands on them.

We all know this.


On a thought of the story, Its a shame. They killed a kid that was picking lemons off of a tree and killed this kid for no reason.(IMO not that theres EVER a reason to kill someone)

I would love to see them motherfuckers without weapons, they think they're so hard with guns(as they should), but if they catch any of these gang members...I hope they don't get the death penalty and put in jail and suffer...til the day they fucking die.

This shit makes me heated, sorry for the rant.

I agree with you but either way, if guns were banned and illegal...People would still get there hands on them.

We all know this.
maybe maybe not but it wouldnt be easy like now

The right to bear arms was given so people could rise up against the government.

Since it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to fight off a stealth bomber and a tank with a handgun, the time has come for this right to end.

The founding fathers never envisioned 12 year olds running through LA with automatic weapons or kids shooting up schools.

My personal opinion is that you should be allowed to have a gun in your home. You should also be allowed to have non automatic weapons for hunting which are registered and stored by the state.

Beyond that, if you are found running about with a gun, you should go to jail for 20+ years.

Murder rates would plummet.

Sean

gotdamn, another terrible event. I'm not trying to take anything away from this kid's tragic death, but he gets the front page news b/c he was a "good kid" who was going to Stanford. There's hundreds of other kids who get shot up for the same bullshit that don't get the front page news though. Nevertheless, terrible stuff.

Sad and tragic.

Remember the Ben Wilson well. When I taught school in a rough area, I would read that story to them every year. It was the only time I ever saw that these kids would get stone cold silent.

UPDATE


Police announced Tuesday that an arrest had been made in the shooting. Pedro Espinoza, a 19-year-old member of the Hispanic 18th Street Gang, was charged in the killing and could face the death penalty if convicted, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

red007 said:

fucking scumbag gangbangers.
lapd just needs to kill them all. no trial..no prison .just line them up and kill them all

Click to expand...

Sad to say, but I agree..Police around the country have a tough job trying to eliminate gangs, it is only getting worse....

lots of mexican vs black gang stuff out here in LA

you should have seen the crowds for Raiders games

While it reminds me of Willie James Jones, who was to attend Cornell on a wrestling scholarship after graduating from Lincoln High here in San Diego... killed in a drive-by outside of a graduation party...

There is a scholarship named in his honor at Cornell at a major street in San Diego was changed to Willie James Jones Ave.