A community activist who was a former aide to a California lawmaker and a university nursing student were among three people killed in two separate shootings in Compton on Saturday.
The shootings, which also injured four people, happened at two Fourth of July parties about two miles apart, according to the County Sheriff's Department. Investigators said there is no evidence that the shootings are related.
The first was reported at 11:20 p.m. in the 700 block of West Laurel Street, where five people were shot. A man and a young woman were pronounced dead at the scene. A woman, a child and a man were injured and taken to hospitals, according to the Sheriff's Department.
The woman and child suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and the man was listed in critical condition, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office identified the young woman as 19-year-old Meah Bordenave-Jenkins. Authorities have not identified the second victim who died.
But in a statement Monday, Assemblyman Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) identified the man as Eric Washington, a former employee.
“I understand that Eric was trying to end the conflict during a party for children and families,” Gipson wrote. “It is not surprising that during this terrible act, Eric was trying to save the community by preventing a situation that could kill people.
Gipson said Washington has worked for him in his district, which includes Compton. He described Washington as an eloquent, public organizer and caring man who gave his heart and soul for his community.
“I am saddened – devastated by the loss and the killing of this great young man. He tried everything he could to save Black and Brown boys in our community, especially against gun violence, and I am saddened that what he fought took his life,” Gipson wrote.
He said Washington also served as a campaign assistant for Los Angeles Council member Joe Buscaino.
In an Instagram postsBuscaino said he was saddened to hear of Washington's death.
He wrote: “Eric was more than just a colleague. He was a son, brother, cousin, uncle, nephew, friend, mentor and peacemaker. He was a trailblazer and public servant in the truest sense of the word.”
Gipson said Washington was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, one of the oldest African American fraternities in the US, according to its report. website. He said Washington attended Compton College, the University of North Texas and Grambling State University.
At a Monday morning press conference outside Compton City Hall, Bordenave-Jenkins' mother said her daughter was a sophomore at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, studying nursing and visiting family when the incident happened, according to NBC4.
“He was full of life. Very compassionate. Very giving. He would do anything for me or anyone who asked him. It's sad that he is no longer with us,” said Ebone Jenkins, according to the news station.
Bordenave-Jenkins reportedly had plans to take family members to church on Sunday before visiting Knott's Berry Farm with a cousin this week.
About 40 minutes after the shooting that killed Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington, a second shooting occurred in the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue. Two Black men were shot. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital, according to the Sheriff's Department.
The medical examiner identified the deceased as Thaddeus Clark, 38, of Rialto.
The shooting capped a bloody weekend in Los Angeles County, which saw another shooting on Sunday night in East Los Angeles that left four people injured.
Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, said the shootings in Compton were tragedies that could have been prevented and questions whether the city and the Sheriff's Department could have done more to keep people safe.
Ali organized a “peace rally to end gun violence” at 6pm Monday outside the Compton Courthouse.
