CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / COMPTON

An 18-year-old football player from Harbor City’s Narbonne High School was shot dead Sunday night while eating at a Compton restaurant.

Dannie Farber Jr., an All-City receiver who helped Narbonne earn a co-City Section championship last fall, was at the Louisiana Fried Chicken in the 1900 block of Rosecrans Avenue when he was killed. Farber was set to graduate June 19.

Friends held at vigil for him Monday evening near the restaurant.

“He was sitting there eating dinner with some girl,” said coach Manuel Douglas. “They walked in and shot him four times.” Farber died of multiple wounds to his torso.

Sgt. David Infante of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that homicide detectives were investigating the shooting, which occurred at 9:39 p.m.

Douglas said Farber had made “a lot of big plays.” He caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter in a city semifinal playoff game that rallied the Gauchos to a 25-24 victory over Crenshaw High School and enabled the team to reach the championship game at the Coliseum.

“He was a real good kid,” said assistant coach Byron Moore Sr., who had known Farber since coaching him in youth football. “He wasn’t involved in any gang. It’s a tragic loss. He was always full of energy.”

-- Eric Sondheimer and Martha Groves