On July 29, 14-year-old basketball star Semaj Miller was gunned down in South Los Angeles.
At six-foot-seven-inches tall, the Compton teenager was expected to go far with the L.A. City Wildcats, an association that helped launch the career of NBA player James Harden.
Now the community is mourning his loss.
"Semaj was such a talented kid who lost his life too soon," Rapper Percy “Master P” Miller, a coach and part-owner of the team, told Cheddar. "We have to stop this senseless killing, gun violence in our community. It's not the police. This is us killing us."
Miller lamented that gun violence is robbing the next generation of its talent, as well as those who could find success and come back and invest in their communities.
"This kid could have been the next LeBron James, could have been the next James Harden," he said. "We'll never get to know how talented this kid could have been."
Stepping outside of the rhetoric used in recent protests against police violence, the rapper said it was the responsibility of citizens to stop the violence in their own communities.
"I know we're out here protesting for Black Lives Matter, but my thing is, 'Okay, our kids matter,'" he said. "This is our future."
Miller didn't outline specific preventive measures but emphasized parenting and education.
"It's got to start in our community. We have to stand up for these kids. We have to protect them. We have to educate them," he said.
Queen Elizabeth is celebrating 70 years on the British throne this weekend. The Platinum Jubilee kicks off Thursday. She is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Cheddar's Shannon LaNiere takes a look back at her remarkable reign.
After two years of the pandemic kids are ready to enjoy the outdoors again with their favorite toys. Cheddar News speaks with Laurie Schacht, Chief Toy Officer at Toy Insider on how to entertain your kids with the latest, and greatest gadgets.
Summer is around the corner and for the latest trends Cheddar News speaks with Tiffany Reid, Senior Vice President of Fashion at Bustle, on how to look fashionable at your next summer soiree.
The long-anticipated jury verdict in the Johnny Depp defamation case against Amber Heard found for Depp, awarding him $15 million in damages. Heard, however, also received a $2 million award in a counterclaim.
The school district police chief who served as on-site commander during last week’s deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas, says he’s talking daily with investigators, contradicting claims from state law enforcement that he has stopped cooperating.
Thousands of foster children throughout the country are constantly put at risk, with many of them constantly exposed to threats such as homelessness and sex trafficking. With May being National Foster Care month, Cheddar News was joined by Angela Featherstone, CEO and President of the Foster Care Healing School to discuss how the school works on helping foster children and how you can help a foster child today.
It's the unofficial start of summer, and after two years of COVID, Americans are ready to travel again. So how can you beat the crowds and keep your family safe? Cheddar's Shannon Lanier has some hacks that can help you make the most of your summer vacation with minimum hassle.
