Broadway-Manchester: Daquawn Allen, 13

Daquawn Allen, a 13-year-old black youth, was shot twice in the chest and died Sunday, Aug. 16. Allen was shot shortly after noon at  88th Place and Broadway in Broadway-Manchester, authorities said.

Daquawn, whom police identified as a gang member, was taken to a hospital where he died, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

-- Bettina Boxall

 

Update, Sept. 18: A gang feuds fallout: A 'trivial' dispute between two former allies turns deadly, threatening an area's turnaround

Comments

[denah]

Too young too beautiful to die. What are we doing to our youth, why are we sitting here helping them kill themselves by joining our gangs. We as older wiser advisers should be sheltering them from such harms and evils. We as OGs should be telling them to go home, go to school, get into sports, music, something else other them helping them to destroy themselves as we have. Gangs are not fun, gangs are not the thing to do, gangs are not the business. Not for this day and time or any day and time. We as young men and women are self annihilating. We are killing ourselves, have we ever asked ourselves WHY? Is it because we no longer love ourselves? Is it because we no longer love our families? Is it because we no longer love each other? I challenge all of us to look in the mirror staring into our own eyes and answer those questions, then we will have the answers, then, maybe just maybe we can begin to heal, and help the youth around us do the same, as we shed our tears for them and ourselves. Ijna

[me]

God rest his soul

[missing linq]

this is horriffic @ best.man,i grew up around here and it still hasnt been a death that i didnt feel at some point lost.why?no matter your lifestyle your life is presciuos.old or young race dont matter ,we are killing off each other.the longer we sit back and do nothing,the closer it hits to home.everyone around here knows of someone who has lost their life,or been sentenced for a violent crime.the sad thing is just like the war,we go about our lives as the bodies stack up ansd the prisons fill up.well,thats until it hits us at home.......please take care of yours and watch out for the others as well..

[missing linq]

denah,you are right,we are the key.each of us should look in the mirror and ask the HARD questions of ourselves.as a single dad of two(boy&girl)i definatley dont want to lose niether to the streets.they are my blessing from GOD so i involve myself in their lives as well as their friends lives.it takes a village to raise a child.anyway DENAH u stay positive .GOD BLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[syscom3]

Denah, why not ask the same questions every election day.

Its always the same old politicians, making the same old excuses, doing nothing. Have they provided these communities with jobs? Have they cracked down on the LAUSD to provide a quality education? Have they given the police and courts the tools to weed out the sociopaths? No, they havent.

Change must take place at every level, and remember when you cast a ballot.

[A.B.]

Daquawn Allen was my younger cousin, and his death is a tragic lost to my family. It's evident the old cliche' "You are often judged by the company you keep" still exists. Sure, no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. But regardless of the choices that were made, this was still a child, and no child deserves to die. Instead stereotyping the situation let's look at the bigger picture. Let's help our troubled youth instead looking down on them or criticizing them. We all need help in life. My prayer is as a people, the next time we see a person on the street, before blowing them off and assuming the negative, let's stop and think because what we may see on the outside may very well be the opposite on the inside of that individual. Let's work to rebuild and restore.
Peace and blessings....

[Rick]

I agree with you A.B. The death of your cousin is a tragedy and should not be tolerated in the community. Unfortuanately today, the decision one makes or the friends ones decides to hang with can get you killed. He is just another victim of senseless gang violence.

[kenny d]

It's interesting.
If a white rock star were to say, black youth don't care
about each other. They kill over a red or blue ragg.
Not access to education, freedom, or even money in most cases, but a color.
I wonder what the reaction would be.

[jwzalesky]

Daquawn, who police identified as a gang member......end of story. He had it coming!

If these little punks get gunned down at such an early age they are no loss to society. Just one more that they won't have to "release early" to continue being a terrorist on the mean streets of LA!

[sharaye]

he will be remembered...was in my class when i was younger...wish i could of know him better

[jayteereal]

I hear so much about how we should help our youth, but, where do we start?, it should FIRST! start at home, because in most cases home is where the message could be heard the most, and the loudest, when you have hard working parents trying to make ends meet, and raise, and keep their own kids in line, and safe, they really can't just go out in a war-zone an preach about going to school,respect, and everything else that comes with that, because they're scared of being a victim themselves, these thugs don't care about anything or anyone, so most are in no rush to go an teach life to a kid oout hanging in the streets, so it should start at home, then can we start seeing change, then as we come in contact with some of our youth out there that has heard the message before can they grasping the message.

[jayteereal]

A.B. my condolence to your family, because I also know how it feels to lose a love one like this, but my younger cousin, wasn't part of a gang. He went to church every sunday, to give god his praise, he also went to school and played football, and brought friends like your cousin to church with him and help change so many of their lives, this is the example of how it has to start at home, because he got that speech at home often. But his life was taken, like the gang banger said in his own words he was on a gang bangin trip and sweatin everybody, and when he came to my cousin to sweat him, and he said he wasn't about that type of life, and a thug didn't want to hear that when he had a gun wanting to justify him killing someone for his hood, he shot him, he died a day later of his injury to the chest. The hurt doesn't just last until the funeral is said an done, it last for years for a family, so until we help brother, cousin and nephews at home we will loose many to sinceless crimes.

[missing linq]

start the clean up at home.know your child and their friends,be nosey if need be.the big picture is that we cant hold the child hand 24/7.this is vrey tragic and my prayers to the family and to you readers that have something good to say.no child deserves to die,no matter what.............

[Sr]

TO syscom3:

It is not the government or politicians that take childrens lives...nor is it their responsibility to provide you a job...get off your butt and earn a job like everyone else has to. Stop allowing your communities to embrace the gang life...stop glamorizing thug style, and most of all, stop blaming every one else for your problems.

[syscom3]

Sr, you are incorrect on so many levels.

It is the govts responsibility to provide the business climate that allows economic expansion to happen and thus create jobs and wealth. Every single level of govt in California has failed that part. By the way, I have been employed continually for 30 years now. I dont need anyone telling me to get off my butt and get a job.

And as long as the govt has a monopoly on education, then they also have the responsibility to provide effective school administration to provide academic achievement at a cost effective burden to the taxpayers. The LAUSD is indicative of this problem. Near complete failure at all levels.

As for my community, we are pretty much a boring middle class city that supports our police dept and as a result, has a fairly low rate of street crime and violent crimes of opportunity. And I have posted many times on this blog, about the need for the black and Latino communities to stop glamorizing the thug life and to take charge of their communities. It sure isn't coming from me and my friends.