‘My baby’

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On Thursday evening, family members, community activists, neighbors and police officials gathered outside the apartment complex where 8-year-old Jasmine Sanders, listed below, had been fatally shot a day before. Candles, flowers, balloons and stuffed animals were placed near the stairwell where Jasmine collapsed after she was shot. Ministers led a prayer, then the crowd raised candles and sang ‘In my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.’ Seconds into the song, Jasmine’s mother, Shadonna Kinney, 28, above in white, broke down. ‘My baby, my baby,’ she said before screaming. She was escorted into a building across the apartment. ‘Give her some air,’ a bystander said.

Inside, she cried and screamed for about half an hour before going back outside. Police Capt. Gregory Allen of the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Street Division, who was recently promoted by Police Chief William Bratton, told family members that the LAPD, the city and the community were going to come together to not only solve the crime but also make the neighborhood much safer.

At about 8 p.m. the crowd marched around the block, chanting ‘Stop the violence, increase the peace,’ and ‘Save our children.’ Residents peeked through half-open doors and through black window bars, dogs barked and children playing paused to watch the crowd pass.

ruben vives/LAT