USC Student, Son Of Oakland Councilwoman Remembered: 'Everyone That Knew Him Knew That He Was Amazing'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A USC student with a love for jazz who was shot and killed in an attempted robbery over the weekend was remembered by friends locally and in Oakland, where his mother is a city councilmember.
Aviana Spruill said Victor McElhaney was more than a gifted drummer.
"I see him around the campus all the time so it still feels kind of unreal," Spruill said. "Everyone that knew him, knew he was always fighting for the causes that he believed in. So its really jarring for it to happen."
Los Angeles police detectives say the 21-year-old jazz student was shot just after midnight on Sunday during an apparent robbery attempt near a run-down strip mall about a mile from USC.
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Police say three or four young men approached McElhaney, shot him, and then jumped in a vehicle and drove away. It's not clear if anything was taken.
McElhaney was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died around 11 a.m. Sunday.
McElhaney's mother, Lynette Gibson McElhaney, is a member of the Oakland City Council. Her press deputy said she was in Los Angeles on Monday.
"I miss my baby. Please keep me, my family and all of my son's friends in your thoughts and prayers. We are beginning a new chapter in this reoccurring circle of violence and it will take all of us together to make it through this tragedy," she said.
Councilwoman McElhaney described her son as "a son of Oakland. He was a musician who drew his inspiration from the beat, soul and sound of the town and he belonged in every nook and cranny of Oakland."
Councilwoman McElhaney lost a close family friend she considered a grandson to gun violence a few years ago. The 17-year-old boy was shot during a robbery in West Oakland on Christmas Eve in 2015.
"My baby, like so many other babies, lost his life," she said at the time.
Now, she and her husband have lost their only son.
McElhaney – who transferred to USC in 2017 – was part of the USC Jazz studies program with an interest in the relationship between music and social and political movements. He also mentored young musicians and taught at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music.
McElhaney's friends in Oakland spoke about him.
"He was an artist, he was somebody who wanted to give to the culture, who wanted to take this Oakland culture and spread it all over the world with his gift," said musician Kev Choice.
His friends at USC were also devastated.
"Everyone that knew him knew that he was amazing," Spruill said.
Interim USC President Wanda Austin sent out a statement informing the USC community of McElhaney's death, the Daily Trojan reported. In it, she expressed her condolences to his family and friends.
Preliminary evidence indicates the incident was an attempted robbery. An investigation is ongoing, headed by the LAPD's elite robbery homicide division.
Anyone with information on the homicide was asked to call LAPD's Southwest Division at (213) 485-2582. Tips also can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help McElhaney's family raise money for funeral arrangements and a memorial concert.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
