Teen football star shot by alleged gang members

City News Service
Article Last Updated: 03/03/2008 06:27:52 PM PST


LOS ANGELES - Family members and friends mourned the shooting death of a 17-year-old Los Angeles High School football star who police say was shot to death by gang members in an unprovoked attack.

Jamiel Shaw was shot and killed about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday in the 2100 block of Fifth Avenue, near the Santa Monica (10) Freeway, said Craig Harvey of the coroner's office.

The teen got good grades and had been named the football team's "Most Valuable Player." He was being courted by various colleges, according to ABC7. According to the high school Web site MaxPreps.com, Shaw ran for 1,052 yards last season and scored 10 touchdowns.

His mother, Anita 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 to say her son is on the streets of L.A. dead. For what?" the teen's father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., told Channel 7.

"He did everything we asked him to do. It's not right, 'cause we don't know what to do now, you know?"

The black youth was killed less than three blocks from his home when a group of Latino gang members walked up and demanded to know if he was a gang member, police said.

"This is brutal. It's a brutal, senseless act of violence," Los Angeles police Detective Frank Carrillo told the station. "The victim was not a gang member. 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 not. But to shoot them anyway, that's just disgusting."

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