A $10,000 reward will be offered for information related to the shooting death of 16-year old Wilson High School student Melody Ross, who was killed on Friday night as she was leaving a football game with friends. Two males were injured but will recover, and the shooter fled in a grey hooded sweatshirt, according to witnesses. The reward is being proposed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, and the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to approve the reward tomorrow.
Today, in the first day of school since the incident, a memorial continued to grow and overflow with flowers and messages of love near the site of the tragic shooting. Wilson students – many of them abandoning the school’s usual red and white uniform for black attire – huddled around the site and consoled each other, many leaving more flowers or taping handwritten notes to a crosswalk pole.
Many students at the memorial were near the site when the shooting occurred. A large crowd was leaving the campus football field following a game between Wilson and Poly, and Ross sat down on the curb of Ximeno Avenue with friends as they waited to attend the Homecoming dance.
That’s when witnesses say a male in a grey hooded sweatshirt opened fire without warning. Contrary to reports that an altercation had occurred prior to the shooting, students today explained that the shooter was standing in Ximeno Avenue and opened fire, apparently pointing at the ground near the spot where Ross and her friends sat. There was no previous altercation and it was unclear if the shooter was aiming for anyone in particular. Nevertheless, Ross was struck in the torso and could not recover from the injury.
“It is important for the County of Los Angeles to display an unwavering stance against random acts of violence,” said Supervisor Knabe, in a press release today. “In order to bring this suspect to justice, and demonstrate our intolerance to such heinous crimes, I believe this reward should be established, hoping someone will come forward so that we can bring this suspect to justice.”
Mayor Foster and the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) today announced they have created a fund to assist the family. The mayor, Supervisor Knabe, State Senator Alan Lowenthal and Councilmember Gary DeLong are among the first contributors to the fund, according to an update on DeLong’s Facebook page. Donations may be sent to the following address:
Long Beach Education Foundation
Melody Ross Memorial Trust Account (I.D# 33-0357679)
c/o Judy Seal
1515 Hughes Way
Long Beach, CA 90810
With no suspects or descriptions from the authorities, rumors have run rampant. One theory is that the shooter was actually one of the men who was shot, but witnesses say they clearly saw the shooter flee the scene, running down Ximeno towards 10th Street. A student today said she had heard that one of the males – who was shot in the leg – was holding a gun as well, and that he was the intended target. Police have released few details and are encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
At Wilson High today, a mass of black balloons was released in memoriam and one student explained that similar ceremonies will continue through the week. Some reports have indicated that students at other Long Beach schools are also wearing black, an indication of togetherness felt across campuses citywide. Today, there is no Wilson or Poly or Millikan or Jordan or Cabrillo – there is just Long Beach, mourning after an innocent and senseless loss, an affront to the city and the community, a joyful life that ended too soon.
Disclosure: staging-live.lbpost.com publisher Shaun Lumachi is under contract with the Office of Supervisor Don Knabe and is also a Vice President of the Long Beach Education Foundation Board of Directors. Supervisor Knabe’s State of the County address currently advertises with the staging-live.lbpost.com.