Man Faces Trial in Shooting of Athlete

An admitted gang member accused of shooting and paralyzing a promising Cal State Fullerton basketball player was ordered Monday to stand trial in what a prosecutor described as a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Freshman Rodney Anderson was in his family’s Los Angeles neighborhood March 2 when he was mistaken for a rival gang member and shot in the arm and chest. As Anderson lay bleeding, the gunman walked up, peered into the victim’s face and said, “You’re the wrong one,” according to Monday’s testimony.

The alleged gunman, Curtis Vaughn Jackson, 24, of Los Angeles, then apologized and asked whether there was anything he could do for Anderson, according to the testimony presented by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Anderson asked that someone tell his mother he had been shot, but the gunman fled the scene, prosecutor Stephanie Wilson said.

Anderson, 18, remains partially paralyzed and is undergoing intensive rehabilitation. His basketball career has been cut short.

“It’s just so sad,” Wilson said. “This is a classic story of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This young man’s life is shattered forever, for no reason.”

Jackson has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, including three counts of attempted murder for shooting at Anderson while Anderson stood chatting with three friends. One friend was shot in the ankle; the two others escaped without injury.

Evidence presented Monday included Jackson’s admission that he is a gang member. At the end of the hearing, Inglewood Court Judge Eudon Ferrell ordered Jackson to stand trial on the charges. If convicted, the defendant faces several life sentences, Wilson said.

Jackson’s next court appearance is Nov. 6.

A fund has been established by the University Advancement Foundation to help defray Anderson’s medical expenses, and the Cal State Fullerton athletic department plans to donate the proceeds from Fullerton’s season-opening game against Simon Fraser University Nov. 8 to the fund.