Community Vigil Honors Victims of Compton Fourth of July Shootings

Dozens of residents gathered at Compton City Hall on Monday for a vigil and rally against gun violence, honoring two victims of a late-night shooting at a July 4 party. Nineteen-year-old nursing student Meah Bordenave-Jenkins was killed at the scene, and 37-year-old Eric Washington, a Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) community-engagement manager, later died of his injuries.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded to an apartment complex on West Laurel Street around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, where an estimated 250-300 people were attending the celebration. Multiple gunshot wounds were found at the scene; three additional attendees were hospitalized with injuries.

Family members spoke at the vigil. > "My daughter was going to UNLV to be a nurse. She had a dream to be a travel nurse for neonatal," said Ebone Jenkins, the victim’s mother. > "He would get on the phone and call whoever he knew… to help the residents and the community get whatever they needed to get done," said Tina Johnson, Washington’s mother.

HACLA released a statement noting Washington had joined the agency in 2019 and advanced to community-engagement manager, recently coordinating protective-mask and air-purifier distribution after a warehouse fire in Boyle Heights. The agency’s nonprofit arm, Build Hope Inc., announced the creation of the Eric Washington Community Impact Award to recognize youth leadership reflecting his values.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also issued a statement, describing Washington as a public servant who worked to expand opportunities for residents of public-housing communities and to support local youth.

Investigators are still searching for the suspected shooter in the Laurel Street incident, and no arrests have been announced. A separate shooting near Grandee Avenue and 132nd Street early Sunday resulted in the death of 38-year-old Thaddeus Clark; police have said there is no evidence linking the two incidents.