California High School Football Star Gunned Down in Random Gang Attack

[heavyg]

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

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Jamiel Andre Shaw
LOS ANGELES — A high school football star described as "a Houdini on the football field" was shot dead on Sunday in random gang violence and his mother was returning from her second tour of duty in Iraq, officials said.

Jamiel Andre Shaw, 17, was shot multiple times on a sidewalk a few yards from his home after he didn't respond when two men pulled up in a car and asked him "Where you from?" — code for which gang did he belong to, police said. He was not a gang member.

Authorities are calling the shooting a random, unprovoked gang attack.

Shaw, a standout running back at Los Angeles High School and the Southern League's most valuable player last season, was shot about 8:40 p.m. Sunday in the Crenshaw area.

He died later at a local hospital.

His mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, on Monday was her way back from Iraq, where she has been serving her second tour of duty.

His father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., said he called Jamiel on Sunday night, telling him to hurry home from the mall. A few moments after hanging up, Jamiel Sr. said, he heard the shots outside.

"They killed him while his mother is in Iraq fighting, dodging bullets, and she gets a phone call to say her son is on the streets of L.A., dead. For what?" Jamiel Sr. said.

His son's ultimate goal was to be 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."

Hardy Williams, football coach at Los Angeles High, said Jamiel was "a very special kid. Not only was he an outstanding athlete, he was a good person."

And, Williams said, he was "a Houdini on the football field."

Jamiel was an all-city first-team selection last season after he rushed for 1,052 yards, averaging more than 14 yards per carry, and scored 10 touchdowns. He also ran track.

In the past week, Williams said, Stanford and Rutgers universities contact him about Jamiel. "He was elated," Williams recalled.

Police said they are seeking the public's help in identifying the suspects, whom officials described only as two Latino men in a white compact sedan. Investigators believe the shooting was not racially motivated. Jamiel was black.

"Unfortunately, it's not uncommon in L.A. that we have some gang members approaching victims at random just to see if they are (gang members) or not," said police Detective Frank Carillo. "But to shoot them anyway, that's just disgusting."

 

[ologan]

I really don't believe that law enforcement can control the gang problem found in major cities today. Hell,not only major cities,but small cities and rural towns also. I really DO believe that in the near future,ordinary citizens will have to take steps to rid their communities of the problem. True urban warfare!It's coming,and you better be ready to do something.

 

[mr.jameswoods]

I really don't believe that law enforcement can control the gang problem found in major cities today. Hell,not only major cities,but small cities and rural towns also. I really DO believe that in the near future,ordinary citizens will have to take steps to rid their communities of the problem. True urban warfare!It's coming,and you better be ready to do something.

You can't compare the gang violence in major cities to small cities and rural towns. These gang problems are due to socioeconomic, cultural and geographical/terrain (lack of space in urban areas) reasons will always be bigger factors in poor urban areas. I'm not saying it doesn't exist in small towns and rural areas but it's greatly exaggerated for headlines.

It's sad but the only real solution for kids like the victim are to move out of those areas. The truth is it's difficult for families to move out of an area like south central Los Angelas because their neighborhood is very much an integral part of their culture and they don't want to abandon that to move to a rural or suburban area with less African Americans.

True urban warfare isn't coming. If you've lived in a large urban area, you will note the police are highly active and responsive in wealthy areas. There is a reason you don't see gang warfare in Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I've lived in Los Angelas and the poor residents of the urban areas were always critical of the polices' double standard in regards to protection. I don't know how old you are but this is a well established notion. Heck, even Public Enemy sang a song "911 is a joke" criticizing emergency services failure to respond in the ghetto. This is true of any city in the world. The wealthy will have the best security, schools etc. It's a fact of life. You can walk on the Las Vegas strip at any hour of the day and not really worry about crime because the casino owners will make certain that their terrain is safe for gamblers to come in and spend all their money. Back when Vegas was run by the mob, it used to be considered one of the safest areas in the country because the mafia made sure petty crime and gangs would not pose a threat to tourists spending money in their casinos.