Wilson High School track athlete killed after football game in Long Beach [Updated]

Friends and family gathered today at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach to mourn the death of a 16-year-old honors student and track athlete who was gunned down as she and her friends were leaving a football game the night before.

Melody Ross, a junior in advanced-placement honors and a pole vaulter on the track team, was randomly hit by gunfire that also injured two young men, police said.  It is not known if the shooting was gang-related. No arrests have been made.

Ross was identified by her uncle, Sam Che, who said their family emigrated to Southern California in the mid-1980s from Cambodia.  “We escaped the killing fields,”  said Che, 36.

Ross was dressed as Supergirl  for the homecoming game against Polytechnic High School that was attended by many other students in costume on the day before Halloween.  Ross was “an innocent kid” said Mario Morales, the Wilson High football coach.

“It’s very disconcerting. I’m sick to my stomach when something like that happens and you have an innocent kid involved,” Morales said. He said he heard five to seven shots as he was leaving the stadium after his team’s loss to Poly.

[Updated at 1:30 p.m.: A homecoming dance attended by about 200 students was underway on campus when the shots were fired, said Long Beach Unified School District spokesman Chris Eftychiou. The sparsely attended event for the school with 4,500 students was locked down while police and school district security combed the campus for the perpetrators, he said.

Extra security had been brought in for the sold-out game pitting longtime rivals Wilson and Poly, said Eftychiou, adding that police told school officials they had no indications the shootings stemmed from the schools' "healthy rivalry." Poly beat Wilson in the Friday night matchup, 34-15.

Counselors will be at school Monday to talk with Ross' classmates and any other students who feel the need to talk about the incident, said Eftychiou, describing the violence as a rare occurrence even in the vicinity of the suburban school.]

Ross' classmates gathered at a pedestrian crossing along Ximeno Avenue near the football stadium exit to leave flowers and light candles by the curb where she was shot. They hugged each other, and some sat against the school fence or on the grass with their heads down, pondering the loss of a friend they described as polite and well-liked.  A passerby in a green Toyota truck yelled out: "Police need to do their job!"

Ross, who attended the game with her 17-year-old sister, Emily, a senior at Wilson, died at St. Mary Medical Center about half an hour after the 10 p.m. shooting. At least one bullet struck her in the side, Che said.

The young men, 18 and 20, who were struck suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said Long Beach Police spokeswoman Sgt. Dina Zapalski. Their identities were not released.

-- Ruben Vives in Long Beach, and Ben Bolch

Photo: Friends and classmates mourn the death of 16-year-old track athlete Melody Ross. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Chris]

We need to declare war on the gangs. Outlaw them. Arrest them. Convict them. Throw them in jail for life. For life. Obliterate them. A sane society should show zero tolerance for these animals. Our government is too cowardly to face them down. Our mayor, our city council---a collection of idiots who won't do anything.

[Kevin]

The saddest moment of the night. How could anyone have the heart to shoot someone, even if it was unintentionally aimed towards that person, and be able to live knowing that they took another human life. I wish I could look at the one guilty in the face and ask these questions. I hope that they will be caught because it makes ME sick to my stomach to know that someone can get away with something so horrible. Leaving the game, not even for one second the whole night did I think anything like this would occur.

What I realized about reading other articles and other peoples' comments is that sometimes the blame is ridiculous and too general. To say that it is solely because of the media, or solely because of gun control, or even because it was an event that had "Poly" a part of it is disappointing.

[Kim]

Chris: I live in Long Beach and I totally agree with you--render the ACLU powerless in defense of gang bangers as well. The police everywhere have to be nicey-nicey to the gang bangers for fear of trampling over their civil rights. When you act with civility then you can have access to your civil rights. Gangs and section 8 housing are pulling this city down. Round all gang bangers up and anyone associated with them and ship them off to Gitmo without the frills. Forever!!!

[Andrews]

When you have a mayor who was a gang member and a city council
composed of children of illegal aliens its
no surprise that Los Angeles is known across the country as
The Gang and Illegal Alien Capital of the USA!

[Manny Santos]

as long we can purchase a gun as easy as a soft drink it will happen again,maybe not at wilson but somewhere else.We have a state representive in DC who is against any kind of gun control.

[Patrick]

Absolutely friggin sickening that this crap goes on around ANY high school.

[missing linq]

my payers to the family.its a shame that these types of crimes are happening you wonder what type of family raised the shooter.no values at all.he/she should turn themselves in,yep that would show guts,cuz you obviously killed the wrong person.oh but bet you scared of jail where the real thugs hangout......

[foclipz]

There were six murders in the past 3 months in the same general area of Long Beach....this is the second murder this week. Monday...then Friday...and last week it was wenesday...the LBPD lets the gang members do what they want...and they just pull over hard working men and women for stupid traffic "infractions".....the killing will not stop in Long Beach

[Jkeyes]

Until Law Enforcement realizes that this is war; Nothing will happen. Gangs do not care about Liberal feel good programs. They need to be eliminated with force; not hugs.

[Belinda Gomez]

Remember the Bixby Knolls "Halloween Hate Crime" a few years back? The assailants all had gang ties, but the reporting sure didn't mention it.

[fabe chad]

i feel for the family and love ones ....if funny cause in one way school are sopouse to be one of the safest grounds.....is not the first and is not going to be the last... theres probally a shooting going on everyday but the media wont cover all of them. when i was in high school(95-99) there were atleast 4 shooting in campus and only one was cover. we need real cops not school securtys.

[fabe chad]

i feel for the family and love ones ....if funny cause in one way school are sopouse to be one of the safest grounds.....is not the first and is not going to be the last... theres probally a shooting going on everyday but the media wont cover all of them. when i was in high school(95-99) there were atleast 4 shooting in campus and only one was cover. we need real cops not school securtys.

[Gayle]

The hate crime law which Congress enacted and Obama signed should had also included gang members killings innocent children and teenagers.

[Maria]

Someone saw the coward, do the right thing and go to the police. These types of people must be given a life sentence w/out the possibily of parole. I would rather my tax dollars go to the prison than allow these types cowards to walk the street. We must elect officials who vow to incarcerate these animals, and if they are a minor, a mandatory 50-year sentence and their parents must pay! I am so sick of these crimes. Fire the mayor and everyone else sitting on their duffs doing nothing....

[syscom3]

The only people that seem to fire guns indiscriminately are gangsters. I bet this homicide can be easily described as "gang related".

[Aztlan]

White racism pulled that trigger.

[syscom3]

Jkeyes, law enforcement doesnt need to be told what to do. Its the do nothing politicians and unaccountable federal judges that need their noses rubbed into the gore and guts of the deceased so they understand whats going on.

[Rick]

First off, the murder of this young woman is a tragedy. A high school student should not be gunned down at there homecoming. This murder was committed by a absolute coward. Firing into crowd of kids like this. Gangs exist for alot of reasons, laying all the blame on the police is not right. When the police do go out and make mass arrest on gangs, everybody protest. There damned if the do and damned if they don't.

[Tia Hamner]

This is a very sad story and unfortunately it is not the first shooting of a well loved Wilson student. Police need to be at every exit after the football games, especially when it is against such a rival. She seems to have been well loved and a great person. She will be with everyone forever. Her friends and family are in my prayers.

[Mr.G...]

To: foclipz

What do you consider a "traffic infraction" as you put it...
Driving drunk on the wrong side of the freeway?
Running someone down while texting?
Drunk driving with a carload of kids?

Gang members are NOT the only ones that make STUPID decisions...

Truth is,you are probably more likely to get hit by a impaired or distracted driver than a stray bullet...

[Evelyn]

Judges and attorneys are intimidated by gang members presence at the court when cases are being heard. I learned of this when attending jury duty. It is sad that these criminals cannot be locked in because of fear to the consequences. Right, our law enforcement and city government are failing us.

[Carlos]

After being stationed in the Mid-East and seeing how many incidents were prevented from having checkpoints not for only for DUI's but to hunt down criminals. The police know where these checkpoints should be but instead turn their cheeks to cite minor traffic infractions. What's the plan LBPD?

[shanalyn leonen]

we will miss you melody. You will stay loved by your freinds and family.R.I.P. Why did melody have to die? melody is the nicest person in da whole world..shes always there if you need her.I wish Melody ross never died.She was an innocent person.Why does people have to join gangs? in matter of fact, why was gangs made?

[Roger]

I never thought this was true really i feel sorry for the guy who got shot someone needs to do something about school inflickted crime to protect the student body.