Gang Member Gets Life in Teen’s Killing

A gang member convicted of killing a high school student who was walking home from a football game was given a life sentence Wednesday, to the relief of the victim’s family.

“It hurts so bad to find out my 15-year-old’s life was taken away from him for no reason at all,” said Rhonda Owens in a letter to the judge. “Knowing that Tony Shaw will be put away for life, I can go on with my life.”

Superior Court Judge Meredith C. Taylor sentenced Shaw, 17, to 35 years to life in prison, the maximum possible penalty for first-degree murder involving use of a gun. Shaw could be eligible for parole in 2027, after serving 85% of his sentence, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ron Goudy said.

Shaw was convicted of killing Ricky Evans, an aspiring drummer from Panorama City who was among a group of boys walking home after a playoff game between Monroe and Crenshaw high schools on Nov. 21, 1997.

Evans was not a gang member. In fact, he’d planned to march in a “stop the violence” demonstration. Shaw shot into the crowd and happened to hit Evans.

“It’s kind of hard to explain or at least justify,” said Goudy. “Here’s a group of kids walking home from a football game, which millions of kids do every Friday and Saturday night across the country.

“That should be a Norman Rockwell painting,” he added, “not on the news because a kid was killed.”