The tearful mother’s urgent call for help rang loudly to Melissa Monroe. She struggled to grasp such grief and pain.
Tragically, the mother’s son, 12-year-old Alajawan Brown, had been gunned down, caught in a deadly crossfire as he was walking home in their Skyway neighborhood. Distraught and desperate, the mother stepped in front of the cameras in an emotional plea for answers and details. Why would someone kill her child? Who could commit such a senseless act?
“She was on television, begging people to come forward, anyone with information,” Monroe said. “I don’t know what it was, but no one has. They were too afraid to come forward, and that’s too bad. That’s so sad.”
Brown’s murder remains unsolved, hampered by witnesses reluctance to step forward, or in some cases, be forthcoming. (UPDATE: Brown’s alleged killer has been charged with first-degree murder.)
The idea that victims and witnesses shouldn’t cooperate with police is a nationwide problem – and growing.
Fear, especially in gang-troubled neighborhoods, drives some witnesses to look the other way.
In other instances, some bravely step forward.
Such was the case for a Pacific family with a painful past.
Monroe’s son, 21-year-old Shiloh Bleau Drott, was slain at a church youth group event inside the Pacific Community Center on Nov. 14, 2008. Drott was shot through a window of the center’s east room where he was passing the evening with friends reading Bibles, playing games and eating pizza.
Friends and witnesses say Shiloh wasn’t the target. Friends and witnesses helped authorities put the pieces together that night, ultimately leading to the arrest of the shooter, 24-year-old Sopheatheara Kim of Kent.
Kim pleaded guilty two weeks ago to first-degree murder. To avoid additional charges and potentially a lengthier sentence, Kim changed his plea to guilty days before the trial was scheduled to start in Seattle.
Investigators said that Kim or one of his friends got into an argument with someone other than Drott at a nearby convenience market, and that person was disrespectful.
Court papers further said that an enraged Kim followed two men to the center, walked up to the window and sprayed it with at least eight rounds from a 9mm handgun. One shot struck Shiloh as he tried to push others down and out of the line of fire.
Kim, who faces 25 to 31 years in prison, is in custody, awaiting sentencing July 2. He has a previous felony conviction for illegal use of a firearm by a minor.
Two 21-year-old Pacific men, Chatri Lime Thip and Salomon Nora Phe, pleaded guilty last year to first-degree rendering criminal assistance. They are out of jail and are scheduled to be sentenced next Friday at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. They face six months to a year in jail.
Some cases never go beyond a shell-sprayed crime scene. Some never go to trial.
Monroe, for one, appreciates that others stepped forward to help end a family nightmare. The testimony and support made such an arrest possible.
“None of this would have happened if it weren’t for the eyewitnesses … if the kids hadn’t come forward,” Monroe said. “The parents and the kids deserve a lot of credit.
“The families, the kids need to know how important their help was,” Monroe said. “The parents obviously raised their kids with good morals and standards. It shows that they don’t want to tolerate this kind of behavior in their community.”
Yet, the violence still continues in neighborhoods near and far. Monroe understands this and encourages parents and youth to speak out. She is leading a letter-writing campaign, part of a victims’ impact statement, to be presented to the sentencing judge in two weeks. The judge will read those letters prior to the sentencing of the gunman.
Monroe encourages family, friends and community members to join the effort, an “opportunity to have our voices heard in this terrible tragedy that has touched all of our lives.” Monroe invites other families and friends similarly affected in their neighborhoods to participate.
Monroe’s family is realizing closure, at least legally, but the pain endures.
“It’s been tough. We have gone through some tough moments,” Monroe said. “But we’re finally seeing the light of day.”
The family hopes Shilo’s death will spur other communities to protect their own children and respond to others who call for help.
“Parents, kids need to know that it’s OK to say something,” she said. “The code of silence is not cool anymore. People can’t just sit by and see someone getting murdered.
“Raise your kids on good morals and standards. Know what is right or wrong. Stand up for what is right or wrong.”
=====
LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN
The Drott family encourages people to write letters to the sentencing judge. The judge will read e-mails and letters prior to the sentencing of the gunman, scheduled for 11 a.m. July 2 at the King County Courthouse. Mail to: Karen Kunde, King County Prosecuting Office, West 554 King County Courthouse, 516 3rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98104. E-mail to: karen.kunde@kingcounty.gov. Please include in all responses: Case #08-1-13150-1KNT, State vs. Sopheatheara Kim
