Mona Rodriguez Biography – Wiki
Mona Rodriguez, In a tragic turn of events, a Long Beach high school student was pronounced brain dead after he was shot by a school security officer. Mona Rodríguez was shot by an anonymous officer outside Millikan High School in Long Beach, California, on September 27. The shooting appears to be the result of an altercation between Rodríguez and another 15-year-old student, but details are still scant at the time.
Age
Mona Rodriguez has died at the age of 18-years-old.
Husband & Children
Rodriguez leaves behind a five-month-old baby, which Rafeul says they were “trying to have for a while.” “I have to step up now and play the role of mother and father and keep my son strong,” she added. Rafeul also said: “It was amazing, it’s so hard to say goodbye. It’s too early, she’s just 18 years old.” He also had a few words for the officer, noting: “I want him in jail for what he did to my girlfriend.”
Shot & Killed
In a tragic turn of events, a Long Beach high school student was pronounced brain dead after he was shot by a school security officer. Mona Rodriguez, 18, was shot by an anonymous officer outside Millikan High School in Long Beach, California, on September 27. The shooting appears to be the result of an altercation between Rodríguez and another 15-year-old student, but details are still scant at this time.
Rodriguez’s death has become another flashpoint against police violence, with several such incidents recorded in 2021. In July, Los Angeles police shot dead a man after he pointed a lighter in the shape of a pistol to an officer. In early May, a black woman made headlines after claiming she was shot six times by a Texas police officer. In April, the nation was furious after Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter shot Duante Wright during a traffic stop.
The name of the officer involved in the Rodriguez shooting has not been released, but it has been confirmed that he is an employee of the Long Beach Unified School District. He is now on paid administrative leave, while the Long Beach Police Department and the Los Angeles District Attorney are investigating the case. The family has asked that the officer be jailed while he criticizes his actions.
Rodriguez and another student reportedly got into a fight, prompting the officer to intervene. She threatened to use pepper spray but ultimately failed to do so as the two stopped fighting. Rodriguez then got into a car with her boyfriend Rafeul Chowdhury and her brother Shahriear Chowdhury. At no point did the officer mention that she had a firearm, nor did he threaten to use one, Rafeul claimed. “We got in the car, we were already leaving when he decides to go to the side of the car where the fender is and yells ‘Hey!’” Shahriear told reporters.
After the shooting, Rodríguez was transferred to Long Beach Memorial Care Hospital. On September 28, Ali confirmed that he was on life support, and just a day later she added that Rodriguez was brain dead. The family is expected to say goodbye soon as Rodríguez will be taken off life support, and doctors confirmed that he will not survive. The decision has left Rafeul heartbroken. “I can’t even sleep every night. I’m going crazy for myself, you know. I’m used to seeing her 24/7,” he said.
Video Footage
Video footage supports the brothers’ story and shows the officer approaching the car as it accelerates. He then fired two bullets, “one of the bullets got stuck in the door where he could have been shot, the other bullet went through the window where he caught Mona,” Shahriear added. The fatal bullet hit Rodríguez in the neck. No one in the car was armed, and the sudden use of force enraged both brothers. “The way he shot us was wrong. He could have shot my tires. But why straight through the window?” Rafeul asked.
Civil rights activist Najee Ali acts as a spokesperson for the family and has asked District Attorney George Gascón to press charges. Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen, with the investigation still ongoing. But Long Beach Unified Superintendent Jill Baker promised the officer would be tried according to the department’s “established standards.”
GoFundMe Page
Now a GoFundMe has been created to help cover Rodriguez’s hospital and funeral expenses. At the time of reporting, it has raised nearly $ 6,000 of its $ 50,000 goal. “I beg anyone reading this to help me in a way that can please … anything and I mean absolutely anything will be deeply appreciated from the bottom of our hearts,” the description reads. The money will also be used to support the baby and take legal action against the officer.
