On the evening of July 4, 2026, 37-year-old Eric Washington Jr. was attending a community gathering at the New Wilmington Arms Apartments in the 700 block of West Laurel Street in Compton when a dispute erupted and gunfire broke out shortly before 11:30 p.m. Washington, described by colleagues as a passionate community advocate and violence intervention worker, reportedly stepped in to de-escalate the confrontation and was struck by two penetrating gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

The shooting left five people hit by bullets. Nineteen-year-old nursing student Meah Bordenave-Jenkins was killed at the scene; three others, including a juvenile, were wounded. Law enforcement opened an investigation, but as of early July 2026 no arrests had been announced and no shooter description or motive had been released.

Washington held a master’s degree in public administration, had worked for Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson, and was employed as a community engagement manager at the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. The community described him as a gentle giant and a trailblazer whose death while trying to make peace deeply affected those he served. If anyone at the New Wilmington Arms gathering saw what happened or has information, please share it with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.