Family of 15-year-old boy shot, killed at street takeover demanding answers
The family of a 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed on Sunday, August 14, at a street takeover in Willowbrook is demanding answers about what they say was a slow response by authorities to save the teen.
According to his family, Joshua, the teenage victim, was at a street takeover with friends, near 135th Street and Avalon Boulevard when he was shot in the head around midnight, just 30 minutes away from his home in East Los Angeles. He later died in the hospital.
"My grandma started calling him and the cops were the ones that answered and they told me that he was in critical condition in the hospital," Jaylene Montes, the victim's cousin, told CBSLA.
Just down the street from where the shooting occurred, the words "Long Live Joshua" are now written in white on the road.
A neighbor in the area, who did not want to be identified on camera, said she heard the shots.
"As soon as we walked in the door, we heard the shot, and then everybody scattered, everybody left. Everybody left that little boy for dead," the neighbor told CBSLA.
The neighbor also said that the street takeovers have been happening on her street every weekend since Memorial Day, and that the authorities were slow to respond the night Joshua was shot, even after she called 911.
"If they would've gotten there when they got that first call and things would've ended, Joshua would've come home," Javiline said.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore talked about the teen's death during the weekly police commission meeting to illustrate the dangers that come with these illegal car sideshows that simply move into a different communities when police crack down on them.
"...he unfortunately lost his life as the conduct at these locations has become increasingly volatile and dangerous," Moore told the commission.
Outside the home where the teen lived with his cousins, Jaylene and Javiline Montes, photos of Joshua can be seen taped to the windows of their cars, asking for donations for his funeral.
"A lot of things are happening. They need to stop, there's no point of it," Jaylene said.
On Tuesday, the sheriff's department responded to CBSLA's request for comment about the incident, saying that there was a minor delay in their response to the street takeover that Sunday because of the large crowd. The department added that as soon as deputies received reports of the shooting, they got into the area and found Joshua.
They continue to investigate the fatal shooting, and as far as the sideshows, officials said deputies with the Century Station are working with the California Highway Patrol on the issue.
