Relatives of a Black woman who was fatally shot in early July met with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna last week to demand answers after claiming the deputy at the scene rendered no aid as the victim lay dying.
Raejonette Morgan, of South L.A., died July 2 after an apparent drive-by shooting, according to police.
Authorities said the 22-year-old was headed to pick up a friend for dinner around 7:30 p.m. when her vehicle was met with a barrage of gunfire near the Vermont Avenue exit of the 105 Freeway.
Almost a month after the shooting, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been announced.
It’s not clear whether the officer’s inaction might have also facilitated the shooter’s getaway.
Investigators speculated whether the shooting was gang-related, noting that Morgan’s death might have been the result of mistaken identity because she was not involved with any criminal activity.
After the emotional sit-down with Sheriff Luna, Raejonette’s mother, Annette Morgan, said she wanted the focus to be on finding the killer rather than the deputy’s alleged inaction, emphasizing her desire for justice for her daughter.
“I know that they’re working as hard as they can to get to the bottom of this,” she said while flanked by civil rights activists at a press conference following the meeting, according to Fox 11.
Anginette Morgan said Luna shared details about the ongoing investigation and assured her that the deputy was being thoroughly investigated, which helped restore her trust in the process.
“I feel good about what’s gonna be next,” Morgan said. “And I know that they’re working as hard as they can to get to the bottom of this. We want to find out who the shooter was.”
Previously, Morgan demanded an apology from the sheriff’s department the day after her daughter died, telling reporters that her daughter “did not deserve to die like that.”
“I don’t understand how could you not have helped my daughter?” she said, according to CBS News. “How could you neglect her like that?”
At the time, the department announced it was reviewing the deputy’s response to determine if proper training and protocols were followed.
Since then, civil rights attorney Ben Crump has requested a meeting with Sheriff Luna on behalf of Morgan’s family to understand the protocols deputies are supposed to follow when dealing with a shooting victim who is still alive.
Pastor Anthony Shep Crawford, who leads the Experience Christian Ministries in Los Angeles, attended the discussions between Luna and the family, and said he came away feeling optimistic, although he would not elaborate.
“What we learned here today is that the outcome of this investigation will either change some policies, or something will change, but we will never have to see a situation like this,” he said.
Local station KABC reports that the sheriff’s department stated the deputy remained next to his car because he was unsure whether a victim or a shooter was in the bullet-riddled vehicle. The station further reports that the department says the deputy has been removed from field duty.
The department has issued a statement about the meeting with the family.
“Today, the Sheriff and his executive team had a productive meeting with the Morgan family along with local community leaders. First and foremost, the Sheriff and the Department would like to again offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of 22-year-old Raejonette Morgan during this tragic time. This senseless murder abruptly stole a bright future from Raejonette and shattered the lives of her loving family,” the statement read in part.
Video from the scene captured bystanders rushing to assist the woman, with one person using a shoe to break a window to get inside the car. During the chaos, another panicked voice called out to a nearby sheriff’s deputy for help, saying that Morgan was still breathing.
However, despite the urgency at hand, the officer basically sat in his patrol car, ignored the situation and did nothing, Morgan’s family claimed.
Video of the incident later surfaced online, showing the deputy parked behind Morgan’s car after she was shot.
In the footage, the deputy stands next to his patrol unit while Dionne M. Leslie-Pullen, who was recording, pleads for help, noting that Morgan was still alive.
“She’s still breathing! Get her out!” she yells.
The officer only approaches the car after Leslie-Pullen breaks the window, and then he returns to the patrol car until other deputies arrive. Nearly five minutes had passed before the deputies helped Morgan from the car.
“He could have talked to her. He could’ve asked her questions while he was helping her in the position that she was in,” Leslie-Pullen said at the time. “But he never came over to the vehicle.”
Morgan died at the hospital two days later, leaving her family agonizing over whether she might have survived if the deputy had simply done his job.
Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, voiced serious concerns about the officer’s failure to assist in what was clearly a police matter involving a violent crime, plus a woman’s life was in danger.
“Yes, we were concerned about the actions or, what some have said, the inactions of the deputy who was on scene,” Ali said. “But there’s nothing, nothing more important than capturing Raejonette’s killers.”
Family members said Raejonette was in her junior year at Los Angeles Southwest College. She “wanted to pursue her career in criminal justice,” her mother said, adding: “She was well on her way into making a mark into the world.”
Morgan described her daughter as her best friend, someone who always checked in and expressed her love.
“We spent just about every day together. She was an outgoing 22-year-old,” she said.
The statement from the sheriff’s office vowed an extensive investigation that would “continue to seek justice for Raejonette and her grieving family.”
“The Sheriff and Department executives had a very open, transparent, and collaborative meeting where they listened attentively to the family’s concerns and addressed many questions. Having these discussions with community leaders and with the family is very important because it not only strengthens relationships, but also fosters trust in law enforcement.”
