The coach described his standout player as "a Houdini on the football field," and the numbers backed it up. As a junior, Jamiel rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year, averaging just over 14 yards per carry. An invitational All-City first-team selection, he scored 11 touchdowns, returned punts and kickoffs, and played defensive back. He also competed in track.
Hours before he was shot, Jamiel had spent the day at a football camp at Pasadena City College, Williams said.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, March 06, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 99 words Type of Material: Correction
Jamiel Shaw Jr.: An article in Wednesday's California section about the fatal shooting of Jamiel Shaw Jr. said Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton told reporters that the area where Shaw was attacked is policed by the Newton Division and is nicknamed "Shootin' Newton." Shaw was killed in Mid-City, which is overseen by the Wilshire Division. Bratton was actually discussing recent shootings in South Los Angeles when he said the Newton Division is nicknamed "Shootin' Newton." Also, a headline on an article about Shaw's death in Tuesday's Section A incorrectly said the shooting occurred in South Los Angeles.
"Stanford just called me about his transcripts," he said. "Rutgers called a couple of days ago. He was just on track. . . . He was very elated."
Jamiel's teammates called him the "the spirit of the team."
"I went through most of today thinking it was all a joke," Colletti Scorza, an 18-year-old junior, said of his death. "I thought he'd make it to college on a football scholarship and then be in the NFL someday. . . .
"I don't know how we're going to fill the void on the team and as our friend."
Scorza and another teammate, Rayvione Mouton, 16, had hung out with Jamiel on Friday.
"I remember I told him, 'I'll see you Monday!' " Rayvione said. "But now I know I won't ever see him again."
The two students said gang violence is less common in Jamiel's neighborhood than in areas south and east of L.A. High. They also said there had been no tensions between blacks and Latinos. Jamiel was black.
Chrystale's brother, Romans defensive end Willie Miles, said she was not up to speaking late Monday. He said she told him she was talking to Jamiel on his cellphone when she heard the car pull up and someone ask him "where he was from," code for which gang he belonged to.
Miles said his sister heard what she later realized was gunfire.
"It was like a long gust of wind," he said. "The phone went dead after that."
On the sidewalk where Jamiel fell, mourners created a memorial of blue and white candles and flowers, L.A. High's colors.
Jamiel Sr. recalled the horror of seeing his son down on the pavement, and said that his boy had never missed a game because of an injury.
"When he went on the field, he never came out," the father said. "He'd never been hurt. This is the first time I saw him hurt."
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francisco.varaorta@ latimes.com
