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Honors student killed after H.S. game
Published: Nov. 1, 2009 at 1:37 AM
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LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 1 (UPI) -- A 16-year-old honors student wearing a "Supergirl" costume was mortally wounded by gunfire as she left a Homecoming football game in Long Beach, Calif.

Melody Ross was shot as she left the Wilson High stadium with friends Friday night, the Los Angeles Times reported. Her uncle, Sam Che, said she was pronounced dead about half an hour later in the hospital.

Two young men, ages 18 and 20, were wounded. Police did not release their identities and said they were not students at Wilson or its crosstown rival, Polytechnic High School.

Ross's parents were immigrants who left Cambodia in the mid-1980s.

"We escaped the killing fields," her uncle said bitterly.

Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department, said investigators were unsure of a motive for the shooting and whether it involved gang violence.

Friends said Ross had reason to dress as "Supergirl" for Halloween. She was an honors student and athlete, specializing in the pole vault.

Pictures of her here:

http://aznpridesammy.blogspot.com/2009/ ... -ross.html

On Saturday morning of the aftermath of the Poly vs. Wilson game, many students came to the cite of the shooting to pay their last respects to Melody and condolences to her sister, Emily. Melody was a 16-year-old girl junior at Wilson who I can proudly say was one of my teammates on the pole vaulting team at Wilson. She worked hard at practice and honestly loved practicing on the pole vault pit. She also loved it when the team got together, even if we were at Starbucks or Frogurtz. We promised each other to do secret sisters at home meets and that both me and her were gonna drive the team around after certain track meets. She worked so hard school and took rigorous classes that even I hadn't bother to attempt. You had to be heartless in order to not like her because she was so friendly and if she liked you, you absolutely had to love her. And that's what made her so special to everyone. It is so unfair that a life that should of been well lived was ended so violently. This Halloween night, I don't see anything that I can celebrate for. This is the worst possible way to lose a teammate and the worse possible way to lose a friend.

These are some photos taken by the Press-Telegram and Los Angeles Times Newspaper of the memorial that students had made for Melody. We love, we miss you Mel. Friend, sister, athlete, student.