Popular Teens Heartbroken Family Pleads For Killers To Step Up
Jamiel Shaw was gunned down less than three blocks away from his home last Sunday. On his way home from a date, the 17-year-old football player had a bright future ahead of him. Top schools such as Stanford University was just one of the colleges trying to recruit him.
Jamiel Shaw Jr. dedicated his life to the game of football and to his grades. He was a very good student and had all the makings of a success story. The senior at Los Angeles High School was a good student and star football player who had multiple colleges interested in bringing him into their football programs. Last season he earned Best Athlete of the Year honors at LA High School and was deemed their most valuable player.
His mother, Anita May Shaw, is a sergeant in the army serving her second tour of duty in Iraq."They killed him while his mother is in Iraq, fighting, dodging bullets, and she gets a phone call saying her son is on the streets of L.A. dead ... for what?" said Jamiel Shaw, the victim's father.
Authorities say just before 9 p.m., Hispanic gang members walked up to Shaw while he was less than three blocks from his home on 5th Ave. in Arlington Heights, and shot him dead."He did everything we asked of him," said Shaw's father. "It's not right. We don't know what to do now. This is who we were living for."
Police are deducing that gang members asked Shaw if he belonged to a gang, and shot him even though he answered no. "This is brutal. It's a brutal, senseless act of violence," said LAPD Detective Frank Carillo. "The victim was not a gang member, and unfortunately it's not uncommon in L.A. that we have some gang members approaching victims at random just to see if they are or are not [gang members] -- but to shoot him anyway? That's just disgusting."
Authorities are asking for the public's help.
If you have information related to this case, you are asked to call the LAPD at (877) LAW-FULL (529-3855). The Latino & African American Leadership Alliance co-chaired by community activists Najee Ali and Christine Chavez will sponsor a candlelight vigil in memory of Jameil Shaw on Tuesday March 4th 2008 at 6pm. The location will be 2136 5th Avenue in Los Angeles, the scene of the murder.
Contact: Najee Ali (323) 350 1065