Dalelaja Francis Denise Hearn was 17 and a high school senior from Fresno when she was killed on December 15, 2019, in Carson, California. She had been attending a vigil for a friend at a residence on Alvo Avenue. After the vigil she and 19-year-old Erin Kayla Lavender got into a parked car and were both struck in the chest when unknown assailants opened fire on the vehicle.

Both women tried to drive themselves to a hospital; Erin was pronounced dead shortly after arrival and Dalelaja died nearly two hours later. Surveillance footage later showed two suspects in hooded sweatshirts approaching and firing into the car, then fleeing on foot toward Del Amo Boulevard. Witnesses also reported seeing a dark-colored SUV leave the area, and a light-colored SUV was captured on video driving in the same direction soon after the shooting.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Carson City Council offered a combined reward of $30,000 for information leading to arrest and conviction. Does anyone have information that could help bring justice for Dalelaja and Erin?