School mourns slain student
A 15-year-old boy who was shot outside a Moreno Valley high school died early Tuesday, leaving classmates and teachers to mourn the loss of a popular, happy-go-lucky kid.
Allen Anthony White of Moreno Valley was shot once in the head with a handgun about 3:20 p.m. Monday near John F. Kennedy Drive and Thyme Place, officials said. He was taken to Riverside County Regional Medical Center, where he died about 2:40 a.m. Tuesday, said Jerry Franchville, a Riverside County sheriff’s investigator.
Allen was a freshman at Moreno Valley Learning Center, where students with problems are referred from conventional schools. He was about two miles from his school, outside Vista del Lago High School, which he previously attended, when he was shot.
“He was probably one of the most well-liked students at the center,” said Principal Bobby Byers, who chatted with Allen on Monday morning before classes. “It’s been pretty tough on his classmates.”
Allen had perfect attendance and an easygoing personality, which kept him out of trouble at school, Byers said.
“I never saw him try to get up in someone’s face or be confrontational. He always had something positive to say,” Byers recalled. “It’s just a tragic loss.”
The shooting occurred about 15 minutes after school let out at Vista del Lago High. Witnesses told investigators they saw the killer flee in a red sedan, Franchville said. After the shooting, deputies closed several nearby residential streets and conducted a sweep of the area around the high school but did not make any arrests.
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