UPDATE: The police department will host a community meeting Thursday, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. about the department’s response to recent incidents of violence in Pasadena and Altadena, including the slaying of 18-year-old Brandon Jackson. Officials announced the event Wednesday via a press release posted on Facebook.

The event will be in the gymnasium at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena police Chief Phillip Sanchez and other department staff will discuss the incidents and answer questions from the community, the press release issued by City spokeswoman Ann Erdman said.

The meeting is free and open to the public. Spanish interpretation services will be provided.

For more information contact Lt. Jari Faulkner at 626-744-6485.

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By Brian Charles, Staff Writer

ALTADENA – Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide investigators had no leads Tuesday in the investigation into the slaying of Brandon Jackson, an 18-year-old John Muir High School student, officials said.

Jackson was shot and killed on Saturday in the 300 block of West Palm Street as he was walking home from a friend’s party. A source close to the investigation said the shooting likely was gang related.

With no leads coming in during the first three days of the investigation, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Luis Castro said the case will proceed slowly for the rest of the week.

“If it happened on the 12th and there are no updates yet there probably won’t be one for the rest of the week,” Castro said. Multiple shots – all to the abdomen – killed Jackson, according to the autopsy conducted by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

The report doesn’t indicate the exact number of gunshots, or whether the bullets that struck Jackson killed him instantly, said Lt. Fred Corral of County Coroner’s Office.

Friend and relatives of Jackson set up a sidewalk memorial for the victim on West Palm Street on Monday and the Muir football booster club held an emergency meeting Monday night to talk about how to help the Jackson family with funeral costs.

A memorial for Jackson has yet to have been planned, Muir football coach Ken Howard said Tuesday.

Those close to Jackson said the student-athlete had turned himself from a troubled student to one with relative success in the classroom and on the football field. Jackson brought his grade point average up to 2.7, Howard said.

The 5-foot, 11-inch, 175-pound football player scored a touchdown in November’s Turkey Tussle game between Muir and Pasadena High School. Muir won, 63-6.

BOYS BASKETBALL
FIRST ROUND SCORES
DIVISION 1AA
Pasadena 63, Trabuco Hills 34

DIVISION 1A
Highland 77, Arcadia 71

DIVISION 2A
Keppel 61, Hawthorne 55

DIVISION 3AA
La Canada 55, West Torrance 47

DIVISION 3A
Bonita 81, Temple City 38

DIVISION 4AA
Gabrielino 86, South Pasadena 81 (OT)
St. Francis 62, Sierra Vista 55
Alemany 77, Monrovia 65

DIVISION 4A
JSerra 89, Marshall 58
La Salle 55, Lompoc Cabrillo 15
Maranatha 69, Barstow 66

DIVISION 5AA
Flintridge Prep 77, St. Paul 41
Blair 91, Excelsior 40
Muir 66, Oxford Academy 38
Bosco Tech 71, Milken 57

DIVISION 5A
Renaissance Academy 57, Downey Calvary Chapel 37
Pasadena Poly 70, Villanova Prep 40

DIVISION 6AA
Pasadena AGBU 59, Capistrano Valley Christian 54
Rio Hondo Prep 72, Public Safety Academy 45

NOTE: Those wishing to make donations can contact Deanna Howard at dhoward746@pusd.us

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer

ALTADENA – Coronor’s officials Monday identified a man shot and killed in a drive-by shooting this past weekend as 18-year-old John Muir High School football standout Brandon Jackson.

Jackson, who played fullback/linebacker for the Muir Mustangs, was gunned down at about 10 p.m. Saturday in the 300 block of West Palm Street as he was walking home from a friend’s party.

Neighbors said someone pulled up in a car, then called Jackson over and opened fire. He died later at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.

Coroner Chief Ed Winters said Jackson suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen. An autopsy was expected to be performed today or Wednesday, he said.

Sheriff’s Detective Adan Torres said investigators had no motive or suspects. He said no witnesses had come forward to offer any clues.

But a source close to the investigation said the shooting likely was gang related. A shooting Sunday night in Pasadena that left a 44-year-old man wounded might have been done in retaliation to Jackson’s slaying, the source said.

Muir Principal Sheryl Orange said Monday she requested a stronger police presence at the school.

“I asked them to watch the perimeters,” Orange said.

On West Palm Street on Monday, friends and relatives of Jackson set up a sidewalk memorial to the victim.

People who knew him said Jackson was in the process of turning his school career around. The 5-foot, 11-inch, 175-pound football player scored a touch down in last year’s Turkey Tussle game between Muir and Pasadena High School in which Muir won, 63-6.

“This kid was off and running in the classroom, bringing his GPA to a 2.7,” Muir football coach Ken Howard said Monday. “He was all about becoming successful, keeping a positive attitude.”

Howard held a team meeting where the mood was somber as players consoled each other.

Jackson was described as a “good kid” and “respectful,” a starting fullback who was expected to shoulder more offensive responsibility next season.

As a sophomore Jackson forced a key fumble that helped the Mustangs tie and nearly knock off the defending CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division champions.

Adrienne Lett, vice president of the football booster’s club, said the club held an emergency meeting Monday night to talk about how to help Jackson’s family with funeral costs.

Also, grief counselors and counselors from Child Welfare and Attendance and the Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development were at Muir on Monday speaking to students.

Muir senior wide receiver Karl Holmes Jr. remembered Jackson’s ambition to improve his personal life.

“He would say, `I just want to get a job and help my sister,’ because his mom had passed away when he was in the seventh grade,” Holmes said. “He had said he just wanted to help his family and he wanted to be the man of the family, and I respected him for that.”

Holmes and Jackson were among a group of Muir High students who as sophomores went to Washington, D.C., to witness President Barack Obama’s historic inauguration.

“He was crying when it all happened,” Holmes recalled.

The two had known each since they were both 12 years old, Holmes said.

“He was more than a teammate – he was like a brother. The sad thing is, I can’t remember the last thing I said to him.”

Howard pressed his players to keep Jackson’s memory alive.

“I told them, `If you have Brandon’s phone number, keep it and don’t delete it,”‘ Howard said. “That if they have his picture, don’t delete it – keep it.”

Michael Burnes, a sophomore who had known Jackson since both played Pop Warner football as 11-year-olds, was still trying to comprehend the death of his childhood friend.

“It’s just a sad day,” he said. “Known him since we were kids.”

Dennis Vaughn, a senior linebacker, said he recognized Jackson’s leadership skills early on.

“He was only a sophomore and he was on the sidelines telling us to keep our heads up,” Vaughn recalled. “He always had a positive attitude. There was definitely no gang involvement. That’s not what he was about. He was about getting his work done and moving on.”

Staff Writer Beige Luciano-Adams contributed to this report.

There’s no other crowd like Flintridge Prep, check that, student section like Flintridge Prep, unless you want to count the Cameron Crazies. If you’ve been to a high school boys basketball game this season, or the last few years for that matter, you’ll notice a boisterous student section sitting, err, standing in the far corner of each section. I went to the Rebels game last week against Pasadena Poly. The entrance was crowded, and soon I realized there was no seating for the late-arriving crowd. In a sense, I’m glad it was so crowded, because to tell you the truth, I was illegally parked outside. I was afraid of getting my car towed, again. Anytime a student section chants “fascism”, “communism” and “Mussolini” you know you have a pretty unique and creative section. If you’ve ever been to a Prep game, you’ll hear another chant: “You can’t do that!”. That’s when the Rebels’ favorite player is fouled intentionally, as is usually the case when there’s a 6-foot-8, 270-pound center ready to go on a fastbreak. At home or on the road, you’ll have a hard time finding a seat in either section, and it’s why, I feel, the Flintridge Prep student section is the best student section in the West San Gabriel Valley. Here are the others:

1. Flintridge Prep: Read above.

2. Maranatha: Jeremy Major, a sophomore guard, alone draws a crowd.

3. Pasadena Poly: Worth the drive just to catch a Poly student drenched with orange paint.

4. La Canada: When they win, they always draw a near-sellout.

5. Pasadena*: The asterisk is there because they usually only draw a crowd when they play Muir.

Pasadena (19-6, 13-0) clinched its 10th consecutive Pacific League title earlier this week. But with one game left in the regular season, don’t expect the Bulldogs to hold back.

Pasadena hosts crosstown rival Muir (14-9, 7-6) today at 5 p.m. That’s reason enough for the Bulldogs to get fired up as they await the Division 1AA playoff pairings.

But there’s more on the line for Pasadena.

“We have to win this game because we need to keep our position in 1AA,” said coach Tim Tucker, whose Bulldogs are ranked No. 7 in the division coaches poll. “We can’t afford to drop in that division. I’d like to go into the playoffs with a 14-game winning streak as opposed to coming off a loss.”

Tucker knows Muir will be clawing for a better league placement in hopes of keeping its No. 2 spot in the Division 5AA poll.

“Muir is fighting for third place and to keep their position in the division that they’re in,” Tucker said. “So they’re coming in here needing to win.

“When it comes to the Muir-PHS game, you never look at who’s playing for what, records and what it looks like on paper. It’s about who laces them up and is ready to play.”

Muir, in the first meeting, raced to a 16-point lead before falling, 54-51.

Tucker knows the feeling of losing an impact player, and such has been the case for Muir.

News about the dismissal of Deshawn Hayes (18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds) from Muir’s team because of repeated team violations is something Tucker can relate to. He, too, lost his best player in Todd Lewis Jr., but for a much different reason.

“I look at it two ways,” Tucker said. “One is you lose a kid like Deshawn and other guys step up. We lost our No. 1 player with a broken foot. He was an All-CIF guy who led his team to the CIF State semifinals, and now we have other guys step up.

“That’s what I see with Muir. Other guys will step up. Secondly, often times you have teams that focus more. I don’t see that much of a letdown because the rest will come together.”