Jemil McGowan was 38 years old when he died on Monday, September 2, 2019, Labor Day, three days after a fight on Crenshaw Boulevard in the Hyde Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died from blunt force trauma to his abdomen, and his death was ruled a homicide.
McGowan was a Black man in his late 30s. No obituary or memorial page for him could be found for this story.
According to the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report, McGowan got into a physical fight with another person on Friday, August 30, 2019, sometime between noon and 12:30 p.m., in the 6300 block of South Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles Police Detective David Dilkes said. The next day, he was taken to a hospital for his injuries. He died there on September 2. Detectives asked anyone with information to call them.
The timeline in his case is part of what makes it hard to solve. A blow to the abdomen can cause internal bleeding that is not obvious right away, and a person may walk away from a fight believing he is fine. By the time McGowan sought treatment, the person he fought may have been long gone, and by the time he died and his death was ruled a homicide, several days had passed. The public record does not say what the fight was about, how it ended, whether McGowan knew the other person, whether anyone else was involved, or whether the other person was ever identified.
The 6300 block of South Crenshaw Boulevard is a busy commercial stretch in Hyde Park, a few blocks south of Slauson Avenue, lined with small businesses, churches, auto shops and fast-food restaurants. In 2019, construction of the Crenshaw/LAX Metro line was underway along the boulevard. A fight in the middle of the day on a Friday on Crenshaw would likely have been seen by passersby, customers and shop workers, and possibly recorded by business cameras. Someone in the area that afternoon may have stepped in, called for help, or simply watched and walked on.
Los Angeles recorded about 260 homicides in 2019, among the lowest yearly totals in more than half a century, yet many of those killings still went unsolved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Jemil McGowan could be found in news archives or public records. Seven years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible for his death. Anyone who saw a fight on Crenshaw Boulevard around midday on August 30, 2019, or who knew Jemil and heard what happened, may hold information that could help. Detectives asked tipsters to call South Bureau Homicide at 323-786-5113. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
