The Killing of Latisha King: "Call Me Latisha"

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Lawrence King / Latisha King with me today. On February 12, 2008, 15-year-old Larry King was shot twice in the back of the head in his classroom at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California, by a fellow student, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney. The shooting happened after repeated harassment and bullying, reportedly driven by hatred toward Larry’s gender identity and expression. Larry was kept on life support for two days, donating organs before he died on February 14, 2008, Valentine’s Day. The crime sent shockwaves across the United States, bringing renewed focus on school bullying, homophobia, and hate crimes against LGBTQ youth. McInerney was tried as an adult. After a first trial ended in a hung jury, he eventually pleaded guilty in 2011 to second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.