'Why is this happening to us?'
It was Wednesday evening, July 23. It was getting cold and Shadonna Kinney had the chills.
She told her 8-year-old daughter, Jasmine Sanders, and her 3-year-old son, who were playing outside, to come inside the three bedroom apartment at 76th and San Pedro streets.
Seconds later, a shot rang out. Jasmine collapsed face down on the stairwell. Kinney ran down, pulled her daughter's arm, flipped her over and saw blood.
"Jasmine, fight baby, fight for your life," Kinney told her daughter as she cradled her. Kinney said Jasmine only took a gasp of air. She carried her upstairs, screaming to neighbors to call 911.
Inside Kinney continued to cradle her daughter. A neighbor told her to lay her flat and to apply pressure on the wound. Shortly after, paramedics took Jasmine to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
In Compton, over the phone, Jasmine's father was told of his daughter's death. "I dropped the phone, walked over to the couch and threw myself on it," said James Sanders, 27. "I screamed."
Photo: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times
Family relatives described Jasmine Sanders as an ambitious girl with dreams and goals. She wanted Barack Obama to win the presidency so she could play with his daughters. Her favorite song was by hiphop artist Nas "I can" and she liked dancing to Ciara's "1, 2 Step." She was learning Spanish from her Latino friends and ate carne asada tacos with ketchup, not hot sauce. "She was my shinning star," Kinney, 28, said.
Five days after the shooting, on July 27, the L.A. County District Attorney's office announced the arraignment of a 13-year-old black youth in connection with the shooting. The teen was Jasmine's cousin, whom police said was associated with a gang. "He didn’t know how to handle the gun and hit the 8-year-old girl. He just turned 13. He didn’t have the ability to maneuver the weapon and he hit her,” said LAPD Police Cmdr. Pat Gannon. "Jasmine Sanders is a double tragedy that essentially ended a young girl’s life and changed forever a young boy’s life."
A day after the cousin's arraignment, Sanders sat in the living room of his grandmother's house in Jefferson Park. He said Jasmine was the third family member to have been killed in a shooting within a two week period. Just 10 days earlier, her cousin Kimberly Bonds, 19, was shot and killed outside an apartment complex in Athens. Authorities said Bonds was not the intended target. Then, following Jasmine's death, another cousin, Dominique Anderson, 38, was shot in the head during a fight. "The family is devastated," said Sheila King, 44, Jasmine's paternal grandmother. "It's horrible. It's not stopping. Why is this happening to us?"
-ruben vives/LAT
I am so sorry for your loss I lost my cousin antwan cole this year and It still hurts because i still find it hard to nelieve that I will never see him smile or hear him laugh but I know where he is in heaven with the lord.I can only say to you and your family I know that you are hurting to lose three members of your family is hard but know that the lord is not asleep and whoever takes an innocent life shall pay oneday
Posted by: sorry for your loss | August 03, 2008 at 03:18 AM
Sadly, when you associate and run with gangs, when you immerse yourself in the life, you're very likely to endanger the people around you. Tragic.
Posted by: Vince, | August 03, 2008 at 05:12 PM
i do send my best wishes to the family of the young child and the rest of her family members that past before her. a few days later on 11 ave a 63rd street my nephew was hit by a car at 14 years of age and killed him, my family is divided and it hurts so much the pain is unbareable. but just keep on praying and keep your trust in God and he well see you through i am praying for everyone that lost a love one through the hands of someone else especially the babies, but please keep in mind that they are in a better place. God Bless!
Posted by: christine royal | August 04, 2008 at 07:39 AM
What is wrong with you? As that famous quote says ...."You cant handle the truth".
Anyone who has followed this blog for some time cant but help but noticing the dysfunction and a psychosis that permeates so many black and latino neighborhoods.
Its happening to you because your community continually reelects do nothing politicians, tolerates anti social behavior, pays lip service to education and YOU SUPPORT AND GLORIFY A GANG CULTURE.
Once these communities learn otherwise, it will be your children and young teens who will be going to jail, or going to the morgue.
Posted by: Syscom3 | August 04, 2008 at 12:15 PM
We don't want gang members anymore. Parents you have a choice. A choice wether or not to have children and when you do have children where you live and whom your child hangs out with. Yes it is your reponsibility. No one made these choices but you.
Posted by: Southoc | August 07, 2008 at 06:59 AM
it dosen't take much to talk to your love one's and friends about crime to pick up the phone and iinform athorities of criminal activity such as having a deadly weapon. it will help stop this kind of negative activity. it's not being a rat but a good person that will help the unessary hurt in all communities. My Condolences to the Family..
Posted by: SSCARZZ | August 09, 2008 at 05:56 PM
its a sad story and is bieng written every single day thousands of times in america we glorify and make these rappers like snoop dogg and the game for (reppin their hood) when glorification of gangs makes kids think this s**t is cool and its all about smoking weed and drinkin 40's and s**t the truth is gangbangin iswhat i call a "suicidal mindstate".its messed up because these kids are bieng neglected by their parents and by their cummunity and by the government itsself so we shouldnt blame anyone per say the only advice id say to anyone is keep your children close i know its hard out there but talk to your kids and make sure theyre walking out your door everyday making the right decisions . the sad part is you have snoop and game rapping and making it kool to be in gangs but they say theyre just rapping what they went through but theyre not thinking of the effects of making red and blue ok to represent because its very dangerous to wear these colors and kids dont know it until its too late ...
Posted by: TAS1996 | August 10, 2008 at 08:31 AM
The truth is being in or associated with a gang causes death. The violence stops at home so it's the parents responsibility to make sure their kids are not involved in one. Problem is many parents either already are a gang member or just don't care about their kids until something tragic like this happens.
Posted by: Another Statistic | August 10, 2008 at 01:56 PM
TAS1996...THE COLORS ARE NOT JUST RED AND BLUE ANYMORE....I HAVE A 15 YR OLD SON, AND I THOUGHT BUYING HIM LOUD COLORS LIKE GREENS, ORANGES, POWDER BLUE...YOU KNOW THOSE PLAID COLORS, WOULD KEEP THE GANGS FROM CONFRONTING HIM TO FIND OUT THOSE ARE GANG COLORS TOO!!!! THE HOOVER CRIPS ARE WEARING ORANGE AND THE 60 CRIPS ARE WEARING POWDER BLUE....YOU CANT WIN FOR LOSING. THIS GANG STUFF IS RIDICULOUS....I HATE THEM AND WE SHOULD SHIP THEM ALL OVER TO THE WAR....THEY WANT TO SHOOT AND KILL....SEND THEM OVER TO IRAQ
Posted by: CONCERNED MOM | August 12, 2008 at 03:09 PM
Parents who have children that join gangs have to be held responsible for their actions. I know that it is difficult watching a teenager but legally, they are your responsibility until they turn eighteen. The girl's cousin killed her because of his lack of knowledge. And the other people killed in this family died because of his affiliations. Sad but true.
The other problem too is that there are very few community resources for teens. In the seventies, we had after school programs and as teens we had JTPA and other job programs that kept us busy.
Posted by: Rubylox | August 14, 2008 at 09:28 AM
Concerned Mom .......... I hope you remember what you just said this Novemeber on election day.
Look at your choices and stop reelecting the politicians that continually do nothing.
Do you still believe the NAACP, MALDEF and the ACLU will solve your problems?
Posted by: Syscom3 | August 14, 2008 at 12:30 PM
lots and lots of Latino and Black violence...(as usual)
god damnit GET CIVILIZED.
Posted by: jojo | August 21, 2008 at 12:16 AM
i don't know what is wrong with you people. you can dispassionately sit back and haughtily blame parents, blame race, blame the president- the fact is we need more understanding in this world, and for all you commenters to use this tragedy as an opportunity to stand on your soapbox is part of what is wrong with this country. a little girl is dead. show some raising and respect and pay condolences and then shut your freaking mouths. if you want to make change, go make it. just be respectful, if your mama taught you how.
Posted by: carmen | November 04, 2008 at 11:44 AM
i heard about this at school. i was shocked. stunned that it was an innocent 8 year old girl. one of my teachers gave a picture of her and thats when i started shedding tears beacuase i knew the little girl. they just moved from my neighborhood in figueroa. i couldnt believe and i just prayed that she would be in heaven with GOD. i pray that people can open their eyes and see whats going on and take action so that another family wont have to suffer for a lost like this kind. my heart goes out to this family.
- jenny
Posted by: jenny | October 03, 2009 at 08:39 AM