Ronald Elam, 18

Aug. 22, 2019

Ronald Elam, a 18-year-old black male, died Sunday, July 21, after being shot in Vermont Knolls, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.

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Two reader comments

Ronald was young, and made mistakes but haven't we all... His death is mourned by many people in the LA area. I have never had a biological big brother before, and in the period of time that I knew him he was just that. He was respected in our city, and when people would mess with me all I had to say was his name and they would back down. He use to sit on the front porch of his home like ice cube from Friday. A couple of days before he past I saw him and we spoke briefly. You never know what impact people have in your life until they are gone. Seeing him before getting the news made the pain even worst. I love you Ron, your family will always be in my prayers and I promise to cherish every interaction and relationship, and to not take this life of mine for granted. You may be gone but you are not forgotten. We will meet again one day, say hi to my grams for me. -Chey

— Cheyenne R June 16, 2021 at 9:13 a.m.

Ronald was one of my students for three months while he was in placement after leaving juvenile hall. Ronald was a leader among his peers at school, always respectful to school staff, and went above and beyond in my English Class. Ronald even completed and presented a senior presentation about his goals to enter the field of Contruction after he graduated from high school. I loved Ronald and was devastated to hear of his death. I received a phone call from a coteacher one morning while I was on vacation in Ireland:simply devastated. Yet, like so many of our students, we patched him up and the social services/juvenile justice system sent him right back to his home where he got in trouble in the first place; that is also where he died just a few months after leaving my classroom, where I had held his big fist between my hands and pled for him to make better choices in the future. Now, he has no future. Rpnald is just another name and number on a short page about a robbery by a young black man in L.A. for anyone else reading, but to his family and to his teachers, he is dearly missed.

— Julie McKissick May 28, 2020 at 11:59 a.m.