WESTMONT, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the murder of a 21-year-old nursing student in the Westmont area in south Los Angeles.
Lanai Dees was shot and killed around 12:40 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2024.
“I am the mother of Lanai Deed, who was senselessly gunned down and murdered by some cowards,” Lanai’s mother, Dahlin Dees, said at a press conference on Thursday. “My baby didn’t deserve this, and we need justice. I will not stop until I get it.”
She was driving her car near Century Boulevard and Wilton Place when authorities said someone in a dark-colored SUV drove past her vehicle and shot her in the head. Dees then crashed into a concrete staircase in the alley and died at the scene.
The suspects remain at large.
Her family spoke at a news conference Thursday, issuing an emotional plea for any tips that could help investigators.
“I wouldn’t want this pain on any parent,” Dahlin said. “It’s the deepest pain you will ever feel in your life.”
Family members say Lanai was on her way to visit friends when she was killed. Investigators have few leads on identifying a gunman or a motive behind the murder.
“We are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspects responsible for the murder of Lanai Dees,” said Lt. Steve DeJon with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. “This act of violence was not only senseless, but it shattered this family and left a community grieving.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. If you prefer to submit an anonymous tip, you can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or visit the Crime Stoppers website.
“It’s hard to walk past her room every day, knowing that she won’t come out and say, ‘Good morning, mom. I love you, mom,'” Dahlin said. “Any information that you have, please come forward.”
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