Bryan Jay Shedrick

Bryan Jay Shedrick was 45 years old when he died on Friday, April 24, 2009, in Westmont, in South Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 1119 W. 93rd St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in two short sentences. It described him as "a 45-year-old black man" who "was stabbed several times and died Friday, April 24." It added that "The stabbing took place in the 1100 block of West 93rd Street in Westmont, officials said." The entry did not say whether he lived at that address, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, or whether anyone else was involved. No follow-up story appears to have been written.

Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Bryan Jay Shedrick has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. Shedrick is an uncommon surname, and the few other people named Bryan Shedrick who appear in public records live in Michigan, Georgia and other states, with no connection to this death. That rarity means that anyone in South Los Angeles who knew him by name would likely recognize it.

Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.

Westmont is an unincorporated community in South Los Angeles County. Because it is not part of any city, it is patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department rather than the Los Angeles Police Department. It is a mostly residential area of small single-family homes and apartment buildings, with a population that has long been largely Black and Latino. Its main streets, such as Vermont Avenue and Normandie Avenue, are lined with small businesses, churches and corner stores.

Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.

No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Bryan Jay Shedrick could be found in news archives or public records. More than 16 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Bryan Shedrick, or who lived on or near West 93rd Street in Westmont in April 2009, may hold information that could help. Neighbors who heard an argument, saw someone running from the block, or later heard talk about the stabbing could help detectives understand what happened to him. 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 contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).