Young basketball player gunned down

By 2UrbanGirls

Contributing Writer

COMPTON — Local basketball star Carl Lewis has been shot and killed in the parking lot of a popular food eatery in the city.

Lewis was found shot to death in the parking lot of Sr. Cliff’s Texas Style Burritos in the early morning of Nov. 17.

“I heard the shots,” said Plummie Harmon.

Lewis was from Lynwood and attended schools in both Compton and Lynwood and also Hillcrest Prep in Arizona.

“We had so many people rooting for Carl,” said his former coach and director of the Real Run Basketball program, Deanthony Langston.

“He missed a flight … for an NBA trial in Arizona and he ends up getting killed,” Langston said.

The 6-10 youth signed a contract with the National Basketball League of Canada in November 2019, his first professional basketball contract.

“The entire Sudbury Five organization is deeply saddened and devastated by the sudden loss of Carl Lewis III,” Langston said. “The Sudbury Five express our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and fans.

Crime continues to rise in Compton, which has seen a 10% increase in homicides since 2019.

The Compton Sheriff’s Station provided a recent report to city officials showing that overall crime is down 4% from last year.

Members of the community are calling on leaders to address the issues in the city.

“This is becoming a day-to-day occurrence,” said Adolfo Varas, executive director of the Latino Area Chamber of Commerce. “Employees saw someone murdered while at work.”

Varas said that Lewis was shot eight times at 8 a.m.

He urged the council to ensure the safety of both the business community and their customers.

The city has not issued a formal statement on the death of Lewis.

2 Urban Girls is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers the Compton and Inglewood area. She can be reached at 2urbangirls@gmail.com.