Raejonette Morgan, a 22-year-old student with aspirations of becoming a lawyer, tragically lost her life following a drive-by shooting in South Los Angeles.
The young woman, known for her love of cooking and daily check-ins with her mother, was studying criminal justice at Los Angeles City College.
On the evening of July 2, 2024, Morgan’s bullet-riddled Mercedes came to a stop on a curbside in South Los Angeles. Struggling for her life after being hit multiple times, Morgan was too weak to escape the vehicle.
A deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Parks Bureau was first on the scene but failed to provide immediate assistance.
Witness Dionne M. Leslie-Pullen captured the scene on Facebook Live, urging the deputy to aid Morgan. Despite Leslie-Pullen’s pleas, the deputy remained passive.
Leslie-Pullen eventually broke the car’s window and attempted to render aid herself. Additional deputies arrived later and removed Morgan from the car, but the delay proved fatal.
Morgan was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries two days later. The Sheriff’s Department stated:
“It was initially unclear whether the vehicle belonged to the suspect or the victim. From the patrol car, the Deputy requested assistance from South Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.”
Law enforcement officials have indicated that the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity, and the investigation is ongoing. The victim’s mother, Anginette Morgan, expressed her anguish, questioning the deputy’s inaction:
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and activist Najee Ali have called for a thorough investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Ali likened the deputy’s inaction to the infamous response during the Uvalde, Texas school shooting, emphasizing the national attention garnered by the viral Facebook Live video.
“This tragic shooting has garnered national attention because of a Facebook Live video that has now gone viral. This deputy’s inaction captured on video is reminiscent of the Sheriff’s deputy in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas who stood by as children were being shot to death and he refused to offer any aid to school children who were begging for help and died,” Ali stated.
The incident has sparked outrage and demands for accountability as the investigation continues to unfold.
