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An Asian American woman was fatally shot in Compton and her death resulted in calls from her family for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to conduct a hate crime investigation.
The shooting happened about 5:50 a.m. on March 20 in the 1600 block of East Kay Street, according to the LASD, which said there was no known motive for the attack and no suspect information.
Paramedics rushed Sia Marie Xiong to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead with a gunshot wound to the lower chest.
Her family told the media Xiong was from San Diego but most recently lived in Fontana. She was studying to become an aesthetician, according to her family.
The sheriff’s Homicide Bureau urged anyone with information regarding Xiong’s homicide to call them at (323) 890-5500. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Carla Jay, the victim’s cousin, has started a GoFundMe page for the family. Go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sias-going-away-service
The description reads: “It saddens me and my family to be making a Go Fund Mee for this reason. My dear cousin, Sia Marie, was shot and killed on Saturday, March 20, 2021 in the early morning around 6 a.m. in Compton, California. She was a 27-year-old mother to one young son, Shakur, and the oldest out of five siblings.
“Sia was so smart, funny and loving! She had so much life to live and so much love to give. The fact that her life has been cut short, in such a violent manner, pains the family to the core. It’s hard to grasp that we will never see or speak to her again. Hear her voice or laugh, see her grow older or make new memories with her. This baffles me that I’m writing about my cousin in the third person.
“Please keep her mother, siblings and the rest of the family in your prayers! Also donations towards her going away are greatly appreciated! All proceeds will go towards her young son, Shakur. We appreciate any and everything! Thank you so much!”
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $18,000 had been raised, surpassing the goal of $10,000.
“ In less than 24 hours, the goal was met for my dear cousin Sia!” wrote Jay on Monday. “This is such a bittersweet moment. This still feels unreal. But the support and love my family is receiving is through the roof and we are so pleased that Sheshe will have an amazing go away service! The fundraiser will continue to stay up for a while longer. We weren’t expecting to meet the goal so fast! All proceeds after will go towards my baby cousin, Sia’s son Shakur.
“Again, my family thanks every single person. We met the goal, time to catch the person who did this to Sia.”
The calls from the family for a hate crime investigation come as rallies across the Southland and across the country over the weekend called for an end to racial violence against Asian Americans.
In the Los Angeles area, rallies took place in Chinatown, Alhambra and Diamond Bar, among other locations.