Family, Friends Mourn Skateboarder Killed In Compton
PARAMOUNT (CBSLA.com) — Family and friends gathered at a skatepark in Paramount Monday to light candles and pray for an up-and-coming skateboarder who was gunned down on Sunday.
Charley Ford, 24, was killed while sitting in a car in Compton with friend Terrell Gibbs and Gibbs' 9-month-old daughter.
Gibbs said they were outside his girlfriend's home in the 2100 block of Wilmington Avenue when an armed man walked up to the car.
"I was sitting in the driver's seat, (Charley) was in the passenger, and I was playing with my daughter. The next moment, I looked up. The guy with the gun pointed it right at us," he said.
The gunman fired several shots and ran away.
Gibbs shielded his daughter from the bullets. They were both unharmed.
Ford, however, was shot multiple times and later died.
Nicknamed "CJ" by his friends, Ford was an avid skateboarder who participated in events organized by ASK Long Beach, which encourages kids to use skate parks as a safe place.
Ford told his mother, who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, that he would pursue a professional skateboarding career and change their lives for the better.
"He said, 'Mama, I'm gonna make it someday,'" said Renita Lewis. "I loved my son. 'CJ, I'm going to miss you. I love you.' He was a good kid."
