Eric Howard, 17
September 5, 2007 | 8:56
am
Eric Howard, 17, a black youth, was shot at 720 E. Hyde Park Boulevard at 12:02 a.m. Friday, Aug. 31. Police patrolling nearby heard gunshots and found him lying in the street, wounded in the back and chin. He was taken to a hospital, where he died at about 12:50 p.m.
Investigators believe he was shot from behind while walking on the sidewalk. A light-colored sedan fled the scene. Anyone with information is asked to call Inglewood police at (310) 412-5246 or the 24-hour anonymous hotline at (888) 412-7463.
I've known Eric pretty much ever since I've been in Los Angeles. He had knuckle-head tendencies but nothing on the level of violence. His family's really broken up about it. The saddest thing is that he was shot in the back which means that if there was a confrontation, he did the right thing by backing down and going away. Eric did some things he shouldn't have but when he actually did what was the best thing for him to do, he has to pay for it with his life.
And for those of you that know what happened to Eric and who is responsible for this, you sitting on the information doesn't protect you. It's obvious that whoever did this doesn't care much about anyone if he would shoot a boy in the back. The best thing that we can do is help get this person off the streets before they take another life.
My prayers go out to Sam and June and the rest of the Howard Family. Sometimes, the heartbreak of it all is too much for words.
Posted by: Lamar Glover | September 07, 2007 at 11:29 AM
May you rest in peace. The police should be ashamed of themselves because even though you were patrolling the neighborhood, you could not stop this senseless crime. Now that is not to say that you are psychic and should have known the crime was about to happen. All I am saying is that you guys are never ever ever around when you are really needed. You guys are always around to harass people that are not doing anything but when it comes to actually catching a perpetrator before he commits a crime, then you seem incompetent to do so. That is just my opinion. I have needed the police before and even went so far as to call them and when you do that it seems like they never show up. May God help us all.
Posted by: Tracee | September 15, 2007 at 07:34 PM
Tracee, I understand your rage and if this victim was a friend of yours, you have my sympathy. But, remember that the real problem is not the police but killers like the one who shot your friend out roaming the streets looking for someone to shoot. It would be unrealistic to expect the police to be on every street in the neighborhood on a busy night. As you said, they are not psychic and sometimes don't know what is going to happen. There have been alot of cases where the police have saved lives and stopped crimes.
Posted by: Rick | September 19, 2007 at 02:13 AM
R.I.P MY FAVORITE CUZZO ERIC EARL HOWARD I MISS YOU SOOOOOO MUCH YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN... I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO KILL MY COUSIN WHEN HE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ANY ONE BUT MAKE EVERYONE AROUND HIM HAPPY MAN I LOVE MY COUSIN AND WHO EVER TOOK HIS LIFE AWAY COULD NEVER BE FORGIVEN BY ME
Posted by: JAMILA | April 02, 2008 at 01:36 PM
i will all way miss you big brother and i wont forgive the person who took your life!
Posted by: Earl howard | April 09, 2009 at 05:13 AM
I miss you so much Eric.. its a shame that you had to go so sudden at such a young age..
It ways heavy on my heart that I missed your call a few hours before you were killed.. I never thought that would be my last chance to speak to you ..
I hope the person or people that took your life burn in hell.. damn punks
Ily and know your in a better place
R.I.P ERiC HOWARD
Posted by: Chanel | October 03, 2009 at 12:02 AM