Franklin Senkarana Pon-Ros was a three-year-old boy of Cambodian-Laotian descent who was killed on January 20, 2018, in Compton, California. He was sitting in the back seat of a car when his mother and her boyfriend stopped at Nate’s Liquor Mart on West Alondra Boulevard. The boyfriend briefly went into the store and passed another man at the counter; a verbal exchange outside escalated into gunfire. A bullet struck Franklin, and he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Investigators determined the shooting grew out of a confrontation between rival gang members. The boyfriend cooperated with authorities and was not arrested. Dwayne Christopher Ward was taken into custody for violating parole, and another man, Kevaughn Harris, was also arrested in connection with the incident. Both men were later convicted on multiple counts related to the shooting and received lengthy prison terms.

Franklin’s family received community support through an online fundraiser. Does anyone have information about Franklin, the scene on West Alondra Boulevard that day, or witnesses who haven’t yet come forward?