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Protest Planned After Shooting Near Long Beach School Campus Leaves Young Woman Critically Injured
Millikan High School campus.
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Megan Garvey
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LAist
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Eighteen-year old Mona Rodriguez, who was shot this week by a school safety officer in Long Beach, will be taken off life support within the next 24 hours. Her family was told she had no brain activity on Wednesday.
In response to the shooting near the Millikan High School campus, and alleged inaction from law enforcement, the Coalition for Community Control Over The Police is holding a protest Sunday outside the Long Beach Police Department headquarters.
To clarify, the school officer who shot Rodriguez was not employed by the LBPD; he was a school safety officer employed by the school.
Organizer Cliff Smith says the group is demanding the school officer who shot Rodriguez be arrested and be prosecuted by L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón.
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Smith says Rodriguez's boyfriend, Rafeul Chowdhury, and his brother are involved in the protest. Both were inside a moving car with Rodriguez when the school officer opened fire.
But attorney Luis Carrillo, who represents Rodriguez's mother and brothers, says while the family is also demanding the arrest of the officer, they do not support the protest.
“That protest is not authorized by the Rodriguez family and nobody at that protest should use the Rodriguez family name,” Carillo said.
The Long Beach Police Department is investigating the shooting. The officer involved has yet to be identified.
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