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Young boxer shot and killed in South LA
Professional boxer Mylik Birdsong was gunned down by two men who approached him outside his South LA home.
LOS ANGELES - Professional boxer Mylik Birdsong was killed while trying to run from two assailants in a Gramercy Park neighborhood in South Los Angeles.
The shooting occurred at 4:50 p.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of West 87th Street at Denker Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to police, Birdsong was standing outside his home when two suspects approached in a vehicle and fired shots at him. The suspects then got out of the vehicle and chased him, firing shots until he was fatally wounded.
Mylik Birdsong via Instagram
Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died. No description was available of the suspects or vehicle.
A motive for the shooting is unknown.
"I'm totally heartbroken because they did it in front of me. They assassinated him. They assassinated my son in front of me," said Victor Taylor, Mylik's stepdad.
According to Mylik's mom, Zonyia Birdsong, she and her husband saw two men 15 to 20 years of age pull up to the house and one started talking to him.
"So he just said 'what's up bro' and then they pulled out these guns. He took one shot to his shoulder first," Birdsong told FOX 11.
She said the suspects threatened his girlfriend and then ran after Mylik who got up and ran down the driveway.
"They both stood up over him and there was the sound of bang."
Police say the 31-year-old was shot several times and died at a local hospital.
Police are still looking for the suspects, who the family described as being young, younger than Mylik.
"Babies killing my baby," Taylor exclaimed.
His family remembers him as a great man.
"He ended up being a strong young man. Everybody loved him and I'm so.... super proud of him," his father Raymond Clark said.
Superproud ... not only because he had such success in boxing… recently winning a welterweight championship... but he also did so much for others.
"He found a bag with jewelry and about $100,000 cash a man dropped and Mylik returned it to him," Taylor said.
"To me he was outstanding... he was outstanding. And, he made me proud. He made me proud to be his mom."
Mylik was a triplet. His mom said the other two babies didn't survive. She said doctors recommended Mylik be aborted at 5-months because it didn't look like he was going to survive, but he worked out, became strong, learned to box and did some training at the South LA Boxing Club.
To gym coach Grande Diaz, Mylik was a role model.
"Good kid, very respectful, disciplined, committed to what he wanted."
Mylik's stepdad said he wants justice for his son's murder.
"I want those that are responsible for it to be held accountable, that's all."
His next match was scheduled for Oct. 26.
Birdsong had a 15-1-1 career boxing record with 10 knockouts.
He won the vacant World Boxing Foundation international welterweight championship in his final fight March 23 with a unanimous eight-round decision over Jerry Bradford at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower.