Jason Marquis Lemon, 31

Sept. 22, 2013

Jason Marquis Lemon, a 31-year-old black man, was shot and killed Sunday, Sept. 22, in the 900 block of East Kay Street in Compton, according to L.A. County coroner’s records.

Lemon drove up to a house party in a black late-model Mustang about 12:22 a.m., stepped out of the car and began shooting at the crowd, said Lt. John Corina with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

People at the party returned fire, striking Lemon, Corina said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:44 a.m., said coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department's homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

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56 reader comments

No Sheba, I am 722% rite and so is Ms. JJLW...we don't need to talk about it just come over there and or ask one of the rival gangs where would they go to find a Tana and trust and believe Kay St. will be one street mentioned not only that at least 6 Tana's have been shot over there in the past 8 months on Kay St. alone...so no one needs google map, my feet speaks for themselves cause I have been walking those streets since I came out of the wound...born and raised..and yes their are alot of seniors over there who kids/grandkids bang Tana and one thing everyone knows everyone so they do not call the police they simply come outside and tell it like it is..just like at the scene we all were outside while the corners was there and when asked no one seen nothing...this party had at least 60 to 70 people outside from different ages and it was not turned out by the police/cause the noise was too loud but by an idiot...oh and Wilson park/VFW/Holiday's Barber Shop is where Santana starts and it ends on Pine/Long Beach Blvd...youtube...Im from compton-and you will see the video was filmed through the whole hood starting at Wilson Park ending in the Santa Fe's on Pine.....

— T.O.E March 21, 2014 at 4:16 p.m.

@ Sheba/P.Villa...Stop it..I am born and raised over there, I lived behind Marathon's in which I know has been closed since the owner Stefanal 'The Greek' sold it to the city a couple of years ago thats why I said old Marathon burgers(comical yes you are)...but I know the area not from google map Sheba I was directing you to find it on google map, but I ran and still run up and down those streets and Kay St. may have some hispanic gangs on it but it is Santana all day everyday..thats why he came over there to shoot at that particular party it was 3 parties on that street that night 2 hispanics and 1 black..ummm only one got shot up by a south side, that part...I just thank God I left early and he was stopped before he killed one of my loved ones...so with that said I know my city I was just over there Tuesday night on Kay St. having Taco Tuesday with the Tana's enjoying ourselves as we always do...exactly, have a nice day you both...and comical..stop it, come visit over there and find out for yourself, I'm over there at least 3 to 4 times a week..Kay, McDivitt, Tucker, Pine, Van Ness, etc....we would love to have your pressence at a function..hahaha now thats comical...

— Ms. JJLW March 21, 2014 at 4:02 p.m.

@ Sheba to be exact T.O.E. is correct that area where the incident happened happens to be SBC...google it Santana Block Gang Map Area. As well as you I am born and raised in compton and their area starts at Wilson Park/Vfw (Alameda to Santa Fe-Old Marathon Burger side inbetween Compton Blvd & Rosecrans and it continues past Roscrans off of Santa Fe from Alameda to Long Beach Blvd-behind Mc Donalds/across from the Royal Inn Hotel starting at Rosecrans down to Pine Ave-West of the Compton Swapmeet) so no it is not the opposite side and TOE was not mixing any areas up he/she was right on point...you from compton and lived in it your whole life so you should feel comfortable to go over and inquire for yourself and or just ask around and people will let you know who claims/runs that area over there for sure....

— Ms. JJLW Jan. 23, 2014 at 9:14 a.m.

@ Alexis...I don't know where you get your information from but that is every bit of SBCC..I'm born and raised there, family moved there in 1975 maybe you need to go take a visit and find out first hand instead of through google search..lol you better know for sure that the Tana's are from Alameda to Santa Fe ending at Long Beach Blvd. in between Rosecrans & Pine and the start of it off of Compton Blvd. is from Alameda to Santa Fe ending east of Compton Blvd..so yes he knew where he was going and what he was going to do..they are well known enemies and have been for years...@ Sheriff you are totally right family love is unconditional no matter what the case may be good or bad family has to support and forgive their actions but not forget them and pray for the family that was caused hurt and pain from their ignorance. I personally been on both sides-family memebers being killed and family memebers killing and being sentence to years in prison and neither side is a good feeling but it is life especially in the inner city. Until the mindset changes the jails will stay overcrowed as well as the funeral homes, it seem that it is nothing to do in the inner city but join a gang all of the city programs are gone from when I was younger - summer youth, NYSP @ compton college, summer school, afforable sports programs, etc. and I'm only in my early 30's, most of my generation is dying out fast to death and or jail. We have to pray and strive for excellence in everything we do to survive this jungle.

— T.O.E. Jan. 10, 2014 at 8:03 a.m.

@ Edward Sissors...yes they are rival gangs and have been for years but does that mean just because a party is in that area that it is a gang function...hell no, this was a young dumb individual...I guess it is not about get your man anymore its about get any person you see..smh..so if it's a kids birthday party in a rival gang area it is ok to shoot it up because maybe the dad or the brother or the cousin or the mom or somebody is banging from that area...it aint about rival gangs its about being smart in regards to what you do...I wonder how many stripes one gets for shooting a baby, kid, mother, grandmother, etc...from not being smart..do they get disciplined or do they get a job well done....and you can you tube all gang videos and they all diss each other that don't justify ignorant acts..go get the ones in that video instead residents who have lived in that area before that gang was even thought of...

— Jazzy Dec. 2, 2013 at 1:31 p.m.

@thefamily . Someone going to a party and hop out a car and shoot someone else and as a result he ends up dead is justice- justice for the other victim that was shot. I don't wish death on anyone and its very tragic that people are letting gangs control them and in the end they end up dead but your dirt catch up to u, if he had killed someone that night what wouldbhis family have said, that he was a good man. He died n the act of an attemt to kill and harm someone else and in the process he was killed. The people at the party were defending themselves just like Jason would have done if it was the other way around. Yes its horrible that he was taken from family friends and if he had kids them too. But he should have thought about that before taking the risk of dying or going to jail.

— comptonPrincess Oct. 10, 2013 at 12:43 p.m.

@ The family...with all do respect no one invited this young man over to come shoot at a party...it was his plan, he was not thinking clear, not thinking there may be kids in the house and or elderly people in the back..all he thought was a enemy is having a party and I'm going to shut it down..1 death rather than 10-20 is a success with the situation at hand and @ 12 Midnight I doubt if any residents was outside 'in Compton' to witness this man pull up and shoot into a crowd and or will say..please stop it with the non-sense to every action there is a reaction and chose to die for his cause...point blank period..instead of speaking negative about the party goers go speak to the one's who drove / left him at the scene to die...they got the real if no one else does...my final question for the Family is what if he shot multiple people at this party would that be senseless or would you feel pain for the innocent people, or would it have been a job well done for the young man or shall I say another stripe for his gang record.....

— Jazzy Oct. 9, 2013 at 1:22 p.m.