SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Activists and the woman’s family are calling for an investigation after she was found shot to death inside a bullet-riddled Mercedes-Benz at a busy intersection in South Los Angeles.
Authorities said the shooting was reported at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, when deputies assigned to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Parks Department responded to a call of a vehicle being shot at on Vermont Avenue, near the 105 Freeway overpass.
“It was initially unclear whether the vehicle belonged to the suspect or the victim,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “From the patrol vehicle, a deputy requested assistance from the South Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.”
Additional deputies arrived on scene and found a woman in the driver’s seat who had been shot multiple times, a sheriff’s spokesperson told ABC7. She was later identified by family as 22-year-old Rayjonet Morgan.
The sedan had multiple bullet holes in the driver’s side door and window. After the shooting, the vehicle drove onto the sidewalk and came to a halt near a freeway entrance, where several bystanders gathered.
A witness at the scene live-streamed on Facebook, showing several officers removing the injured Morgan from the car and laying him on the ground.
The video shows deputies wearing blue plastic gloves examining Morgan, trying to determine where she had been shot. Fire department paramedics arrived about three minutes later.
Morgan was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he died from his injuries on Thursday.
In a statement released Thursday on behalf of Morgan’s family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump, activist Najee Ali called for a “thorough investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department” into the woman’s death and alleged that a deputy “sat in his patrol car and failed to assist in rendering aid to the gunshot victim.”
“The deputy’s inaction, captured on video, is reminiscent of the deputy who died in the Uvalde, Texas school shooting after standing by and watching children being shot and killed, then refusing to render any assistance to school children who pleaded for help,” Ali’s statement said.
“We are also seeking a meeting with Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff Robert Luna, who has a longstanding record of great character and integrity,” Ali added. “The actions of his deputy, captured on cell phone video by a good Samaritan, are shocking, reprehensible and inexcusable in refusing to render aid to a shooting victim.”
In a statement released Thursday morning, the Sheriff’s Department said it will conduct a major incident investigation of the entire incident, including the deputy’s response, equipment, training and tactics, to determine whether department policies and procedures were followed. We are deeply concerned about this incident, and our detectives are working hard to solve this heinous murder and bring justice to the family. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Rayjonet Morgan during this tragic time. The department remains steadfast in its commitment to saving lives and protecting those in our community during any emergency.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and no suspect description has been released.
Ali said Morgan “was allegedly shot by gang members and her family says it was a case of mistaken identity.”
The families of Ali, Crump and Morgan are scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday morning.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to submit a tip anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), download the P3 Tips mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or visit the Crime Stoppers website.
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