Slain LA High School Football Star Highlighted In President Trump's Speech To Congress

LOS ANGELES, CA — President Donald Trump made reference to slain Los Angeles High School football standout Jamiel Shaw II during the portion of his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday referring to supporting crime victims.

Shaw's father, also named Jamiel, was among the guests seated with first lady Melania Trump.

Trump referred to him as one of "four very brave Americans" in the U.S. Capitol's House chamber "whose government failed them." The others were Susan Oliver, her daughter Jenna and Jessica Davis.

The younger Shaw "was viciously murdered by an illegal immigrant gang member, who had just been released from" jail, Trump said.

"Jamiel Shaw Jr. was an incredible young man, with unlimited potential who was getting ready to go to college where he would have excelled as a great" running back, Trump said. "But he never got the chance."

Shaw was a model student who had drawn recruiting interest from Stanford and Rutgers. He rushed for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns during his junior season in 2007, and was chosen as the Southern League's most valuable player.

Shaw was shot and killed on March 2, 2008, in the 2100 block of Fifth Avenue, near his Arlington Heights home, by a gang member who prosecutors said mistakenly perceived him as a gang rival because he was carrying a red Spider- Man backpack.

Pedro Espinoza, convicted of first-degree murder in 2012 and sentenced to death, was living in the United States illegally at the time of the killing. He had been freed from jail two days before the shooting without immigration authorities placing a hold on him. Shortly before mentioning Shaw, Trump said "we must support the victims of crime" and referred to a Feb. 20 memo from the Department of Homeland Security establishing the Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office.

"We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media and silenced by special interests," Trump said.

There was no immediate response to an email sent to aides of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, late Tuesday night seeking a response to Trump's comments.

The elder Shaw, who Trump described as a "good friend" of his, spoke at several of Trump's campaign events, including the Republican National Convention, where he praised Trump's support of ending illegal immigration.

Davis and Oliver are the widows of Placer County sheriff's Detective Michael Davis and Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver, who were killed in the line of duty in 2014 by a carjacking suspect living in the nation illegally.

Their husbands' names are memorialized in the Davis-Oliver bill, which is aimed at increasing cooperation between federal and local officials to enforce immigration laws.

"Jenna -- I want you to know that your father was a hero, and that tonight you have the love of an entire country supporting you and praying for you," Trump said.

"To Jamiel, Jenna, Susan and Jessica -- I want you to know we will never stop fighting for justice. Your loved ones will never be forgotten, we will always honor their memory."

City News Service

Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: Guest Jamiel Shaw, Sr., attends a joint session of the U.S. Congress with U.S. President Donald Trump on February 28, 2017 in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Trump's first address to Congress focused on national security, tax and regulatory reform, the economy, and healthcare. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images)