USC Holds Memorial For Victor McElhaney, Slain 'Son Of Oakland'
LOS ANGELES (CBS SF) -- The University of Southern California held a memorial Tuesday evening for Victor McElhaney, who was fatally shot during a failed robbery in Los Angeles earlier in March.
The memorial was scheduled from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center Ballroom, according to The Daily Trojan, the university's newspaper.
Victor was the son of Oakland city councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney. The 21-year-old was a senior at USC's Thornton School of Music studying jazz. He attended Oakland's School for the Performing Arts and Cal State East Bay before transferring to USC in 2017. He would have turned 22 on April 13.
"Victor is not a homicide number or statistic or just another black boy gunned down in south-central Los Angeles," said Lynette McElhaney during a news conference at USC last Tuesday.
"I want all of you to know that Victor came into the world a drummer. He was drumming from the moment he could sit up and not just hitting bins to make noise like all little human people do. Victor was listening for a sound."
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident was a single-victim shooting at the corner of Maple Ave. and Adams Blvd. in Los Angeles at around 12 a.m. on Sunday, Mar. 10.
Police said "three to four" male suspects approached McElhaney during the robbery and one shot him in the head. The group fled the scene in a vehicle and no suspects were taken into custody. Fire officials responded to the scene and found McElhaney in critical condition. He was transported to a local hospital, but died around 11 a.m.
"Victor was a son of Oakland. He was a musician who drew his inspiration from the beat, soul, and sound of the Town and he belonged in every nook and cranny of Oakland. I miss my baby. Please keep me, my family, and all of my son's friends in your thoughts and prayers. We are beginning a new chapter in this reoccurring circle of violence…And it will take all of us together to make it through this tragedy," said Lynette McElhaney in a statement on the night her son died.
A GoFundMe page for Victor was started by Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), a Berkeley not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to ending mass homelessness, mass incarceration, and community violence.
So far, over $72,000 has been raised, beating the $50,000 goal. The page states that any funds raised over the goal will go toward "continuing Victor's musical and anti-violence legacy in Oakland."
