San Diego detectives and a grieving mother seek justice for sailor LeMontee Stevenson, who was fatally shot at a party in 2019.
SAN DIEGO — A large American flag hangs in the living room of Leeuna Stevenson’s room in Akron, Ohio. It is the flag the Navy gave to her after her 19-year-old son, LeMontee Stevenson, was shot and killed on August 17, 2019, while at a house party just blocks from the Navy ship he was stationed on.
From inside her home, more than 2,400 miles away from San Diego, Ms. Stevenson clings to hope that the San Diego Police Department’s Cold Case Unit can find her son’s killer and bring her and her youngest son justice.
“I’m very numb to the situation still, even though it’s been like 2,308 days. I just sit and wait patiently,” Ms. Stevenson told CBS 8. “I’ve been waiting patiently ever since the situation occurred, and, you know, I just want to get justice so I can move on with my life. And I really just can’t wrap my head around it, and I’m still traumatized.”
LeMontee Stevenson joined the Navy in 2019 after graduating from high school. Ms. Stevenson said her son wanted to escape the violence of his hometown.
It’s the same gun violence that took his older brother’s life just two years earlier.
LeMontee Stevenson, Leeuna said, wanted to join the Navy, hopefully play football for the Naval Academy, and, more importantly, pave the way for a better life for himself and his family.
On the night of August 17, 2019, LeMontee Stevenson and a few other sailors found out about a party on Marcy Avenue in Logan Heights.
The party, which was posted on social media websites, was crowded, with an estimated 100 people, including members of a local San Diego gang, at the small duplex near 28th Street and Marcy Avenue.
During the party, one of Stevenson’s sailor friends accidentally stepped on another person’s sneakers.
Stevenson broke up the fight.
During the melee, Stevenson lost his keys and returned to the party around 1 a.m. to retrieve them. When he arrived, one of the men involved in the fight opened fire, shooting nine times, striking Stevenson multiple times, and eventually killing him.
San Diego Police Detective Tracey Barr was called to the scene that night as the lead detective. Now, more than five years later, Detective Barr, now assigned to the Cold Case Unit, is still searching for the final evidence to bring Stevenson’s killer to justice.
“I processed the scene, processed all the evidence,” Detective Barr told CBS 8 along the narrow walkway where Stevenson was shot and killed. “I attended [his] autopsy, and so it really does weigh on you. I want to solve it so bad.”
“It’s upsetting to see somebody who is making the right decisions, trying to get a better life for themselves, trying to escape gun violence, and walks into it at a party,” added Detective Barr. “I want to bring justice, not only for him, but to his family.”
Detective Barr says the Cold Case team is close to doing just that, but needs someone to come forward and provide the last remaining eyewitness account needed to put Stevenson’s killer away once and for all.
SDPD’s Cold Case Unit has now identified a person of interest. They have a name. They know which gang they belonged to at the time of the shooting. Detectives need just one person, one of the 100-plus people at the party that night, who is brave enough to come forward and identify that person. The person, Detective Barr said, is likely responsible for other shooting deaths in San Diego.
Detective Barr and other detectives hope the $50,000 reward money from Crime Stoppers will help persuade that person to contact them.
“Think about it,” Detective Barr said. “If this were your loved one, wouldn’t you want someone to come forward and just tell you what they know? It’s not so much about the money, but just, ethically, morally, just doing the right thing.”
Detective Barr understands the obstacles. She knows the dangers of gangs.
“It could just be that fear factor, possible retaliation, and that the $50,000 still isn’t worth it,” said Detective Barr. “It also could be that they haven’t heard about the reward. And this is one of the reasons we want to get this story out, highlight it, and raise awareness. Maybe it will bring awareness to the $50,000, and then they’ll want to come forward.”
For LeMontee’s mom, finding the person responsible will not bring her youngest son back, but it will deliver the justice he deserves.
“It’s really frustrating,” Ms. Stevenson told CBS 8. “I just would love, would just so appreciate it if someone would come forward so I could get justice for my son, because he did not deserve that.”
“[My son] was a gentle giant,” Stevenson added. “He loved people. He never met a person he didn’t affect positively. He was helpful. He always did the right thing, you know, that’s how he lost his life, doing the right thing, protecting people.”
San Diego Police and Crime Stoppers is asking anyone with information on LeMontee Stevenson’s murder to contact the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477