Wilson, city shaken by shooting death of popular student-athlete, 16
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/30/2009 11:30:18 PM PDT
REMEMBERING MELODY:
» Slain teen was AP student, athlete
By Greg Mellen
Staff writer
LONG BEACH —
LONG BEACH - Supergirl is supposed to be impervious to bullets.
But that's the stuff of comic books and cartoons. In reality, we're much more fragile.
On Friday, Wilson High junior Melody Ross was decked out in a Supergirl costume. She and her friends were among hundreds of students just leaving the Wilson High homecoming football game against crosstown rival Poly High.
Nearby a dispute broke out. Suddenly, a gunman fired into the crowd and a half-hour later MelodyRoss, who was not unlike a real-life
Supergirl, was dead from a gunshot wound in her torso.
An Advanced Placement and honors student, a pole vaulter on the track team, the best friend to a number of classmates, the daughter of Cambodian Killing Fields survivors, Melody was 16 years old.
Two men, 18 and 20 years old alsosuffered non-life-threatening injuries in the attack. As victims of a violent crime, their names are being withheld. The gunman escaped on foot.
News of the death spread quickly among the student body at Wilson High as students called and text-messaged one another. Universally, the reaction was disbelief.
"I thought it was a crazy rumor," said Jake Skoll, a friend, shaking his head. "I thought we'd meet in class Monday and I'd say, 'What's up? I heard you died.'"
On Saturday morning at about 10 a.m., somber students began appearing at Wilson High near the intersection where Melody was slain.
About 60 eventually came, laying flowers, balloons and candles in a makeshift shrine. They spoke in hushed voices; many approached the shrine warily. In knots students hugged and cried.
The teens were in different stages of grief, disbelieving, angry, bereft, numb.
One friend, who was standing next to Melody
To a person students and parents described Melody as a smart and effervescent teen who brightened a room.
Juniors Walker Getz, Ramiro Juarez, Yoichi Inoue, Skoll and Ian Tran stood in a semicircle in disbelief.
They variously described Melody as:
"The nicest person I knew;."
"Never had anything bad to say;."
"Everyone who knew her really loved her."
An unidentified parent called her a "beacon of light, an Energizer Bunny."
Kat Mokry, a 16-year-old who was one of Melody's closest friends, said they parted about 10 minutes before the shooting.
"My first thought was it was a joke because that kind of stuff doesn't happen. Not at Wilson, not a girl like her. Then I heard it from her uncle," Mokry said.
Security questioned
Several parents notedcomplained of a lack of Long Beach Police Department security at the game.
School officials say they beefed up security for the event, which was sold out and highly anticipated.
"It was actually extraordinary security," said Long Beach Unified School District spokesman Chris Eftychiou.
He said the extra security included three LBUSD school safety officers, 19 campus security officers drawn from
various schools, plus 10 administrators and 15 teachers.
Co-principal Sandy Blazer said the game and all the homecoming activities ran smoothly and without incident.
Until the shooting, she said it had been a banner day at Wilson and that student involvement and spirit had been higher than she had ever seen.
It was noted the shooting was off school property, although it was on a sidewalk adjacent to the school and a half-block from one of the stadium exits.
Ben Goldberg, who has a child who will enter Wilson next year and older children who have graduated, said the tragedy would be a black mark for the school and the city.
"Wilson is a good school, a great school, a great program," he said.
But he added he has watched families move out of Long Beach when their children reach high school age because of fears of violence in the high schools.
Long Beach Police Sgt. Dina Zapalski said Long Beach Police Department saidcops are urgently seeking help.
"We're really pushing for the public's help on this one, especially the kids," she said. "We have a lot of kids who were out there, and we really need help on this one."
She said if anyone in the area was taking pictures or video of friends, police the copsare desperately seeking their help.
Anyone with information can call 562-570-7244.
Counselors' help planned
The school on Monday will provide counselors in the class Melody was enrolled in and counselors and psychologists will be available for any students who want to talk about the shooting.incident.
Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews came to the makeshift vigil at Wilson and was dismayed.
"This is ridiculous," the flustered councilman said. "This has got to stop. This is Wilson. This just shows you (violence) can happen anywhere."
The former star athlete was distraught that the violence occurred in the wake of a football game.
Councilman Gary DeLong, who represents the district where in whose districtWilson is located, offered his condolences to the parents.
"Having a daughter who recently graduated from Wilson High, I feel a personal connection to the family who lost a daughter as a result of this atrocity," he said.
DeLong said he was confident police would find the gunman.
Although Melody's parents, Chanta and Vannarith Ross, did not visit the shrine at Wilson, cousin Han Yin, uncle Sam Che and older sister, Emily, came by.
"It hurts, it hurts bad," said Yin.
Che says he remembers escaping from Cambodia with Melody's parents in 1979 by walking through mine fields and past dead bodies to a refugee camp in Thailand.
"It's so senseless," Che said. "We escaped the Killing Fields."
Che took some comfort that his family had converted from Buddhism to Christianity.
"We know she's with the Lord," Che said. "But it was too soon. It was just an innocent life taken that shouldn't have."
Che said Melody had so much to look forward to. She had never had a boyfriend, had never been in trouble.
Her parents had moved from the crime-ridden Central Area to a safer neighborhood in Long Beach for the girls' protection, but kept their daughters at Wilson because of its academics and safety.
Che said he had planned to take Melody to Bible study Friday, but because it was a big game she was allowed to go.
While Melody was at the game, the family stayed at home and sang Cambodian karaoke songs.
When Melody's companion at the shooting called with the awful news, Chanta at first thought the voice was that of her daughter.
Even at the hospital she refused to believe her child was dead. Even when the doctors told her. Even when the detectives told her. Refused to believe, until she saw the body, Che said.
Che remembers one of the last exchanges he had with his niece.
As she modeled her Supergirl outfit, Che said "You look good. You can fly now."
Unfortunately, that only happens in comic books and cartoons. This Supergirl was mortal.
Staff writer John Canalis contributed to this report.
