Long Beach School Mourns Slain Student

Long Beach - Grief counselors were at Woodrow Wilson High School on Monday morning to comfort classmates of a 16-year-old honors student fatally shot outside a high school football game, as the search for the shooter continues.

Melody Ross had attended Friday night's homecoming game at Wilson High School dressed in a Supergirl costume and was described by police as "an innocent bystander who was not involved" in the dispute that triggered shootings following the game.

Ross and two men, ages 18 and 20, were shot about 10 p.m. Friday on Ximeno Avenue, next to the high school's stadium, after the game. The young men are expected to survive, but Ross died at a hospital from a gunshot wound to her side, police said.

"There was an argument between two groups of people and shots were fired into a crowd," said Long Beach Police Sgt. Dina Zapalski.

Witnesses heard five to seven shots as the crowd left the stadium after Polytechnic beat Wilson, 34-15.

No arrests have been made in the case and police could not say if it was a gang-related shooting.

Ross was a junior at Wilson, where she was on the track team and was an honors student enrolled in advanced placement classes, according to Long Beach Unified School District officials, who said they had extra security at the game against cross-town rival Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

Police asked anyone who took photos or video at the game to contact detectives Scott Lasch or Malcolm Evans at (562) 570-7244.