LA prosecutor taken off case of slain football star

[Mugu]

By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press via sfgate.com


The community solidarity that followed the killing of high school football star Jamiel Shaw Jr. did not last. A prosecutor has been pulled from the case after clashing with Shaw's parents, who are demanding hate-crime charges against the suspect, believed to belong to a violent Hispanic gang. And the family is fighting suggestions that an affinity for a rival gang was what led to Shaw's slaying March 2.

At the heart of the friction is the polarizing issue of race in a city known for its diversity of cultures. Shaw, 17, was black; prosecutors say the man charged with killing him, Pedro Espinoza, is in the country illegally.

Shaw's family is fighting for passage of "Jamiel's Law," which would overturn a long-standing rule preventing Los Angeles police from inquiring about suspects' immigration status. It has not been welcomed in all corners; opponents say it could deter illegal immigrants from reporting crimes.

The rift between the Shaws and the district attorney's office was exposed last week when Jamiel Shaw Sr., 47, and his ex-wife Anita Shaw, 43, met with District Attorney Steve Cooley to complain about Michele Hanisee, the prosecutor on the case.

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