Homicide Report > Jamiel Shaw, 17 [Updated]
Jamiel Shaw, 17 [Updated]
Died March 2, 2008 at 9:55 p.m.
Jamiel Shaw Jr., 17, a black youth, was shot in the head and back at 2150 5th Ave. in Arlington Heights about 8:40 p.m. on Sunday, March 2.
According to police, Jamiel was walking home when two Latino men jumped out of a white car and approached him. He was asked what gang he belonged to. When he failed to respond quickly enough, they shot him, police said.
The men sped away in the white car north on 5th Avenue, according to Officer Kate Lopez of LAPD's media relations office. Jamiel's father heard the shots and ran outside. He stayed by his son until medical personnel arrived, Lopez said.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:55 p.m.
An excerpt follows from The Times article: A youth 'on track' until fatal gunfire
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.
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."
Keep reading: A youth 'on track' until fatal gunfire
[Update May 9, 2012: Gang member convicted in killing of football star Jamiel Shaw Jr.]
[Update November 2, 2012: Gang member sentenced to death in Jamiel Shaw slaying]
- Neighborhood: Arlington Heights
- Age: 17
- Gender: Male
- Cause: Gunshot
- Day of the week: Sunday
- Agency: LAPD Wilshire
- Race/Ethnicity: Black
25 reader comments about Jamiel Shaw
The Az. law dont look all so bad now that I know about this.This is very sad to me and I think the illegal problem is alot worse than we think.
May 29, 2010 at 10:49 p.m.
I have to commend the parents I don't think I could be so forgiving
June 21, 2010 at 12:52 p.m.
I just shake my head,wow
may Gods tender mercies be w/
you and yours . Some times you
just can't understand but I pray
that God gives you peace and solace during this diffcult time
in your life
Oct. 22, 2010 at 1:39 p.m.
he was a blood gangmember from 20's.... 18st gang member killed him because shaw was a gangmember.. Jamiel should havewent to school and playec football no one told him to get into 20's... 18st gangmember that killed him was raised in los angeles. I love how the media love to tell there own bull**** story.
Dec. 29, 2010 at 10:08 p.m.
To the parents of Jamiel Shaw ,I hope and pray your family can get through this ...It's painful and senseless. I too attended L.A. High in 1976....and just like Jamiel gangs were and continue to be another side of a senseless,violent society.
April 7, 2011 at 8:50 a.m.
Still getting over this. Rest in Peace Jaz you are missed dearly
April 15, 2011 at 1:56 p.m.
jamiel was not so good as everyone speaks.i attended school with him & he would go around claiming BPS.which is a blood gang.living in los Angeles we all know if you go around claiming a hood ur bound to get into some problems.those problems may even include losing ur life.im not saying the guy deserved it.but if ur looking for it you will find it.
May 31, 2011 at 10:33 p.m.
If you google Jamiel Shaw, you will find pictures of him throwing up the BPS gang signs, while wearing a red bandana on his face. The guy that shot him was from 18th St, a long time rival of Jamiel's gang. Don't portray this guy as if he was an angel, because he played football. The guy played with fire, and got burned.
July 14, 2011 at 10:31 a.m.
Yeah,-just being real-I also heard that he was claiming blood on his facebook or twitter account. I also remember reading, online, that he was wearing red when he got hit(they say that he lived in a blood neighborhood).
Parents got to pay more attention to what their children are doing. You can't have your cake and eat it to!
July 26, 2011 at 11:44 a.m.
@just being real...You are absolutely correct.
Sept. 14, 2011 at 9:26 a.m.
you play with fire you going to get burn look at him
Sept. 18, 2011 at 6:37 p.m.
batter boy will probably b next, or c next or whatever primitive expression he chooses
Sept. 19, 2011 at 11:54 a.m.
@justbeing real you are absolutley wrong, and even if he did the guys who randomly shot him didnt know him from high school. All they seen was a pre-succesfull black man who can have a nice family and they wanted to destroy it simply because of his race. Wake up my fellow Hispanics you guys need to realise if it wasnt for the Blacks we could be legally shot and killed everytime we illegally came into this country by any American.
Sept. 21, 2011 at 4:26 p.m.
slob!!!!!!!!
Nov. 18, 2011 at 9:23 p.m.
Why did they delete his pictures on myspace of him throwing up gang signs?
March 17, 2012 at 9:10 p.m.
@Salvador Cruz how exactly do u know he didn't know him from high school?
Because from what I know jamiel wasn't walking around w. His la high football jersey so how was the person that shot him supposed to know he was a talented football player?
Come on now open Ur eyes.
Like BEST said jamiel had pictures throwing gang signs.
He had a MySpace profile where he was dissing 18 st but once his family came out to talk about him and how "good" of a boy he was they deleted his my myspace
Why delete it if there's nothing to hide?
Yeah he might have been a talented football player so he should have just stuck to playing football instead of claiming blood gangs
April 30, 2012 at 8:15 a.m.
@just being real, It was talked about in court that Jamiel Shaw was targeted for two reasons and two reasons only. Number one he was a young black man. Number two he had on a red spiderman backpack. The killer shot him in the stomach after he asked jamiel where he was from, then walked around his body on the ground and shot him in the head to make sure he would die. They have establised that his killer had recently been realeased from jail for pulling a gun on another man before jamiel Shaw was shot and murdered. It is a sad day when we justify any gang member for killing anyone. Because it could easily have been you or your young ones or somebody you know. Its senseless and uncalled for.
May 8, 2012 at 3:06 p.m.
@salvador i feel you @justbein real are you saying that inorder for blacks not to get shot by you racist mexicans is to walk around with a football jersey on? His point was no matter what he may have claimed in the past the mexicans which were either illegal or a direct son or grandson of an illegal Killed him randomly because he was black. we all know L.A is a big city how on earth can Random mexicans identify a Black gang member in mid city? you should just change your name from jus being real to just being another racist messycan.
May 10, 2012 at 11:56 p.m.
Oh and just to make things clear
Espinosa did know jamiel he actually attended middle school w. Him
For u people saying jamiel was not a gang banger please search on YouTube "jamiel shaw" n you'll find a video that shows pictures of jamiel throwing a blood gang sign w. His hands n wearing a red bandana n you'll even find his MySpace where Hes claiming 20's
May 15, 2012 at 4:48 p.m.
Hey Salvador,
I'm trying to figure out what you mean by:
"if it wasnt for the Blacks we could be legally shot and killed everytime we illegally came into this country by any American."
When you say "American" it seems like you mean caucasian. . . Bigotry and racism aren't qualities unique to any ethnic group, as you've made painfully clear.
Aug. 27, 2012 at 4:28 p.m.
The illegal immigrant who killed him should have been deported.
I wonder what all you illegal immigrant advocates have to say about this case.
Nov. 17, 2012 at 10:25 p.m.
Dear Augi,
I am 5th generation American Indian, you are illegal to me. So tell me what your stance is on this case, since to me you are one of the same.
Not nice to point fingers....
Nov. 24, 2012 at 7:15 p.m.
If the illegal immigrant should have been deported like u say AUGI then jamiel died the correct way also
(Doesn't sound nice does it)
I'm not defending the gang member at all.*
Yes I understand the gang member that shot jamiel deserves to be punished but jamiel also is to blame for
jamiel would claim bps a blood gang in LA & that's the reason this happend
If it wasn't THAT 18streeter then it'll probably would have been another one
That's what kids don't understand.
Claiming a gang will get u killed just like being from one
I believe they both made big mistakes in their lifes
Nov. 24, 2012 at 8:32 p.m.
— Heather Bluemoon ; your definition of an illegal alien is only an opinion and not grounded in what the law of the land says it is.
And the sociopath who killed Jamiel should have been deported when society had the chance.
Nov. 26, 2012 at 7:32 p.m.
I would feel bad for this happening to this guy if he wasn't claiming STAINSK, this isn't a race issue as everyone was trying to make it out to be, and his parents are fools for letting the media ( mostly conservative) use their sons death as a joke, the media cared nothing about this guy being killed and just tried to push their illegal agenda. the bpsk killed my cousin in the jungles for no reason at all, just walked up and shot him in head while he was leaving his sister's house, after I seen the pics of jamiel throwing up STAINSK, I went from feeling a bit bad for the guy to finding his death rather FUNNY!!!...this punk was walking around BPSK hood with a red belt and got blasted...smh...no sympathy from ME!!!...
April 11, 2013 at 4:06 p.m.
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