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MONROVIA - The parents - one black, the other Latina of two slain teens embraced and cried Thursday as authorities attempted to quell gang violence and soothe the nerves of fearful residents.

Willie Lee Jr. hugged Jeanette Chavez just yards away from where his son, Brandon Lee, 19, was shot and killed Tuesday night.

"There's not much to say, other than stop the violence. You're hurting

innocent kids, you're hurting innocent people," said Lee. "Keep God in your life," he said.
Lee then abruptly halted, overcome, and began sobbing on his brother's shoulder.

"If you know something about it, go to a phone booth, make a phone call. Don't be afraid," Michael Lee said.

On Saturday night, Chavez's daughter, Sammantha Salas, 16, was shot and killed outside an apartment in unincorporated Monrovia, just a few miles south of where Brandon Lee was shot.

Police said the shootings are the manifestation of a gang war pitting the black DuRoc Crips against Latino Monrovia Nuevo Varrio and Duarte Eastside gangs.

The suspects in Sammantha's slaying were described as black. The suspects in Brandon's killing were described as Latino. No arrests have been made in either shooting, police said.

Just before he spoke, Jeanette Chavez embraced Lee, while a group huddled around them in prayer.

When Chavez spoke, she focused on her daughter and begged witnesses to come forward.

"We don't want this to become a plague," Chavez told reporters, describing how her "baby" dreamed of attending USC and becoming a criminal lawyer.

"That was taken away from her," she

"Have a spine," Chavez said, pleading directly to the public for witnesses to come forward and tell police what they know about the shooting that also seriously wounded Sammantha's 16-year- old friend.

Organized by the Regional Violence Prevention Coalition of leaders from schools, community groups, churches and police agencies, the news conference was held on Almond Avenue, where Brandon Lee was shot.

Although investigators believe gang members might have targeted shooting victims based on their race, several of those who spoke insisted race was less a factor in the violence than a basic, on-going animosity between the gangs.

They said the shootings have left residents in Monrovia and nearby unincorporated neighborhoods terrorized and locked behind their doors.

"I can remember a time when we could all come outside," Willie Lee said. "Everybody is staying in the house now. People are scared to go to school. People are scared to go to church."

Monrovia city officials, meanwhile, sought to assure residents that additional police resources are in place. City and county law enforcement officials said a new anti-gang task force began working Thursday to stem the violence.

"The cavalry is here," Monrovia Mayor Rob Hammond told reporters and residents.

Nearby, friends and relatives of Brandon Lee had placed posters, flowers, pictures and candles at the spot where he died.

"Lil Bro, waking up this morning was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life," one note read.

Khalid Shah, chairman of the Regional Violence Prevention Coalition, which organized the news conference, said he doesn't believe the recent violence is racially motivated but rather a by-product of rival gangs.

"We're here today to dispel rumors that there's a racial war going on in this community," he said.

Sammantha Salas' stepfather, Oscar Chavez, said the whole situation "is like a nightmare."

"It's like a prison," he said. "We have to look over our shoulders."

George Salter Sr., pastor of the New Hope Church of God and Christ in Duarte, said his church is working to bring black and Latino residents together.

"There are not a lot of bad people - it's only a few," he said. "We have to be more involved, then the large majority can out-do the minority."

Just down the street, Bishop William LaRue Dillard of Second Baptist Church of Monrovia, which has about 1,500 members, said his parishioners are "dismayed, hurt and torn" by what has been been happening.

"They are filled with a lot of fear and apprehension," he said. "They're afraid to come out due to the fact that if you are African American, you could be shot on sight."

He said the newly formed task force represented a ray of hope for the area.

"I love it," said Dillard. "They seem very sincere as they work in concert."

molly.okeon@sgvn.com

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