A vigil was held for the 22-year-old woman who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Athens. This video was broadcast on the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, 2024.
Community leaders and the family of a woman who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting are questioning why there was a delay by law enforcement in responding to the tragedy.
Raejonette Morgan, 22, was fatally shot Tuesday in the West Athens area near South LA. She was found critically injured in a bullet-clad Mercedes Benz that was stopped on the sidewalk at the Vermont Avenue exit from the westbound 105 Freeway.
Dione Leslie was livestreaming on Facebook moments after the shooting. Her footage showed a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy standing just feet away from the Mercedes where Morgan remained wounded in the vehicle.
“When I came upon the vehicle, I was checking to see nobody because he was doing nothing but on the phone, saying there was a fatality,” Leslie recalled at a press conference held by Morgan’s family.
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Leslie’s footage then shows her approaching the vehicle, realizing that Morgan was still alive.
“I looked at her and we caught eye contact and I knew at that moment that she was needing me,” Leslie said.
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Pleading with the deputy, Leslie alerted the official that Morgan was still breathing. She also urged the deputy to help the wounded victim. The deputy, however, stood by and remained close to their cruiser while calling for assistance, so Leslie took matters into her own hands in an effort to save Morgan’s life.
Using a boot to break the passenger-side window, Leslie did what she could to help save Morgan.
“I was there for her. I was not going to fail her and if I had to go to jail doing it, that’s what I was going to have to do,” Leslie said.
Once backup arrived, several deputies helped pull Morgan out of the vehicle. She was then taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where she died of her injuries.
“That was my only baby, my baby girl,” a heartbroken Anginette Morgan, the victim’s mother, said.
During a press conference Friday, she called for an investigation into the deputy’s lack of action in saving her daughter. On Saturday, LASD said it launched a “critical incident investigation” looking into the matter.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident and detectives are diligently working to solve this heinous murder and bring justice to the family,” LASD’s statement read. “We extend our sincere condolences to the family of Raejonette Morgan during this tragic time.”
“We appreciate the concerned community members who stopped at the scene to provide aid,” the department also said.
LASD did not release the name of the deputy they are investigating.
Details on what led up to the shooting were not immediately clear. The gunman responsible for Raejonette’s death remains on the loose. A description of that individual was not provided.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact LASD’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
