Michael Latt Los Angeles social justice advocate shot and killed by homeless woman, Jameelah Elena Michl breaking into his home – an ironic death.
Murdered by the very people he sought to save… A social justice advocate, was killed, Monday night, after a homeless woman who lived out of her car, broke into his Los Angeles home and shot him.
Michael Latt, 33, the founder of the social justice activist group ‘Lead With Love’ was the victim of a ‘tragic act of violence’ after he was found suffering from a gunshot wound before being transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect, identified as Jameelah Elena Michl, broke into the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood home around 6 p.m., the LAPD announced in a statement.
Devoted story teller of marginalized groups
Michl, 36, was taken into LAPD custody while she was standing outside the home.
A motive behind the shooting and whether Latt and Michl previously knew each other remained unknown. To date authorities are treating the killing as a random act of violence, the LA Times reported.
Michl charged with murder and was being held on a $3 million bail, as her vehicle was booked as evidence.
Latt who was born into an entertainment family was lauded by his parents who told of their son spending his career helping others, especially from minority groups.
‘Our beloved son, brother, grandson, fiancé Michael Latt, fell victim to a tragic act of violence Monday night,’ Latt’s parent wrote on their son’s Instagram page. ‘Our family, Michael’s extraordinary friends and colleagues are shattered by the profound grief of losing our Michael.’
‘He devoted his career to supporting others, championing organizations that raised up women and artists of color, along with leveraging storytelling, art and various mediums to create enduring change and instill communities with hope, love and inspiration. Michael will never be forgotten and we can all carry on his legacy of love, compassion and fierce dedication to positive and lasting change.’
Latt’s neighbors recalled the activist as a sweet guy who lived with his partner.
‘He is a super sweet guy,’ Avarie Shevin, Latt’s next-door neighbor told KTLA. ‘He and his girlfriend lived there with a dog and a cat. He’s just very mellow. I can’t wrap my brain around what could’ve happened that caused him to be shot and killed. I keep picturing his face and I cannot believe he has passed.’
An Ironic Death
Latt founded Lead With Love, a marketing consulting firm focused on elevating Black and other underrepresented entertainers in Hollywood.
After graduating from Chapman University in 2013 with a degree in public relations and advertising, Latt worked in entertainment marketing for several years. His work for Blackout for Human Rights, a social justice collective, led him to redirect the focus of his work to social justice activism.
It was his involvement with the 2013 film, ‘Fruitvale Station,’ which dramatized the killing of Oscar Grant at the hands of the police in Oakland, which marked a turning point in his career.
‘Working on Ryan Coogler’s ‘Fruitvale Station’ opened my eyes up to how prevalent and insidious White supremacy is in our country and also showed me the potent power of storytelling to change hearts and minds,’ the social justice activist stated in a 2019 Forbes profile.
