Family holds candlelight vigil for 17-year-old fatally shot in South LA

"I'm going to miss him forever, but he's always going to be in my heart," says the mother of a South Los Angeles teenager who was fatally shot.

Amy Powell Image
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Vigil held for 17-year-old fatally shot in South LA
The grieving family of a South L.A. teenager who was gunned down in his own yard is pleading for help to find his killer.

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The family of a South Los Angeles teenager who was gunned down in his own yard are pleading for help to find his killer.

They gathered Sunday afternoon for a vigil as police continue to search for the shooter.

Family members say Oz'Taz Massey was standing in the front yard of their home when he was fatally wounded.

"He was a wonderful child. He was 17-years-old. He was a good child. He didn't deserve what happened to him," his mother Sonya LaRose said.

"My nephew is standing in front of my house and he got shot, for what?" Veronica LaRose, Massey's aunt said. "He's not a gangbanger."

The shooting happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday. The 17-year-old's aunt says he was talking to his cousin when she heard gunfire.

Sonya LaRose says her son was a good student, looking forward to graduating from high school. He loved music and wanted to become a performer.

The family wants the person responsible for Oz'Taz Massey's murder brought to justice.

"He should not be gone. He should not be gone at all," Sonya LaRose said. "He was a smart, brave son, and I miss him dearly. I'm going to miss him forever, but he's always going to be in my heart."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Oz'Taz Massey's funeral.