Was Jamiel Shaw, A Promising Black High School Football Player Gunned Down While His Mom Was Fighting In Iraq, "Net-Banging?"

It's not surprising that Jamiel Shaw Jr., the Southern California African American high school football star who was tragically gunned down on March 2 by an alleged Latino gang member, was a frequent MySpace user. What teen his age isn't on the ubiquitous social networking site.

Eerily speaking from the grave, however, Shaw's pictures and detailed postings may now be telling a different story. New information is shedding light on a case that has garnered national attention due to the circumstances and racial dynamic of this senseless murder. After the jump, the rest of the story.

Reportedly gunned down less than three blocks away from his home after a date, Jamiel Shaw had a bright future ahead of him. All the ingredients of a success story were right there. Top schools such as Stanford University were trying to recruit him. Last season, the 17-year-old football player earned both "Best Athlete of the Year" and "Most Valuable Player" honors at L.A. High School.

His mother, Army Sergeant Anita May Shaw, 43, was serving her second tour of duty in Iraq when she heard the devastating news about her baby. "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, 47, the victim's father.

"He did everything we asked of him," added Shaw. "It's not right. We don't know what to do now. This is who we were living for."

But did his namesake, in fact, do "everything" to prevent his fate?

Police have previously deduced that Hispanic 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 at the time the incident initially occurred. "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."

What the divorced Shaw parents and police may have been completely oblivious to, however, was Jamiel's telling MySpace profile. It was allegedly there that his "other life" was an open book for anyone with a computer and a browser to see.

Butting Heads And Threatening To Expose Gang Affiliation, Prosecutor Taken Off Case

That the accused, Pedro Espinoza, is believed to be in the country illegally only compounds matters, particularly in light of the controversial Special Order 40, which prevents cops from asking the legal status of individuals in an effort to foster cooperation. Click to listen:

Now, many people suspect that Shaw was actually gunned down by the suspect in custody not because of his race, but because of his gangsta lifestyle promoted online without any regard.

The Jamiel Shaw that the media didn't know about proudly claimed membership in his neighborhood street gang Rollin 20's NHB (Neighborhood Bloods) on various MySpace pages. Brazenly posing for pictures, flashing gang signs and reportedly threatening violence against rival gangs including the crips and 18th Street gang (Ironically, the 18th Street gang is the set his alleged killer is from), Jamiel actually depicted dressed in red, which is the color of the Bloods.

According to Project Islamic HOPE' Najee Ali, Shaw was killed wearing several red colored items. The LA based civil rights activist belives this is a case of 'net-banging' in cyberspace, which can can be just as deadly despite the young man not being a hard core gang member, or even showing up in the gang database.

(Random guys posing as Blood gang members)

Was this a hate crime? The issue has become more blurred. Ali believes Jamiel was targeted because his murderer thought he was a rival gang member based on his red belt, wrist bands and Spiderman red backpack.

A coalition of Black and Latino community groups led by Ali is demanding that MySpace immediately, "ban all promotions of gang violence and gang culture by MySpace users, and is asking for community members nationwide to report objectionable comments and pictures that promote gangs."

A rally and press conference is scheduled Monday April 19 in Los Angeles to bring attention to this shocking twist. For more information, contact: Najee Ali (323) 350 1065.

Stay tuned as more details emerge from this incredible story.