Shailo Ikegasio Leafa, a 21-year-old Samoan man, was tragically shot and killed on March 5, 2014, near West 259th Street and South Western Avenue in Harbor City, Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County coroner’s records, Leafa and two other men were sitting near a parking lot around 9:40 p.m. when an assailant approached and fired several rounds, striking Leafa and another man. Leafa was transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at 10:22 p.m.
An autopsy confirmed that Leafa died from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into Leafa's death revealed that he was not a gang member, although he was with friends who were associated with a gang. On the night of the incident, Leafa and his friends had a brief encounter with a rival gang at a gas station, which led to the fatal shooting. The gunman, accompanied by at least one other person, targeted Leafa and his friends as they were perceived as challengers in the gang's territory.
David Lee Allen, 36, was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Leafa's death. Allen was also found guilty of two counts of attempted murder for shooting at Leafa's friends, Che Potasi and Miles Mageo, who were with him at the time. Potasi survived the shooting, while Mageo was uninjured. Allen was one of three men accused of carrying out the ambush on orders from a local gang. The other two men, cousins Khalif Ferguson and Jasper Ferguson, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter.
The case saw multiple legal proceedings, including a mistrial in November 2018, which led to a retrial. In the second trial, Allen was found guilty and now faces life in prison. The prosecution argued that Leafa was specifically targeted by the gang due to the location of the hookah lounge, which was in the middle of Harbor City Crips territory. The gang viewed Leafa and his friends as intruders in their area, leading to the deadly confrontation.
