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Mother asks for help in shooting of her son at LA gas station – NBC Los Angeles

The mother of a father of four who was shot dead at a Los Angeles gas station recalled the last conversation she had with her son as she asked for help in identifying the killer at a news conference on Wednesday.

Melanie Gammage said her son, 32-year-old Marquette Scott, was shopping for Christmas presents on Dec. 3, 2023, when he stopped in the Vermont Knolls area to get gas before driving back to Victorville. His mother was sick at home in the high desert community northeast of Los Angeles. Scott was visiting Southern California from Las Vegas after finding a hard-to-find special edition video game for one of his children at a Target in the South Los Angeles area.

“He called me. Said he was on his way back,” Gammage said. “I waited. Finally, I went to sleep.”

A text message after midnight remained unanswered.

“I thought maybe he was on the highway,” Gammage said. “Then I got a call at 7 a.m. that he had died. He had been shot.”

Scott was sitting in his SUV next to a gas pump at the Sinclair gas station near Manchester Avenue and Hoover Street when someone in a white Jeep Compass drove in front of his SUV. A masked person got out of the back seat of the SUV and immediately fired shots into the driver's side of Scott's vehicle.

On December 3, 2023, Marquette Scott was shot and killed at a gas station where he stopped after Christmas shopping. John Cádiz Klemack reports for NBC4 News on July 12, 2024 at 11 p.m.

A second shooter opened fire from the supermarket parking lot.

Scott died at the scene of the accident.

Photos from the scene showed the Spider-Man special edition Sony Playstation 5 on the floor in the back of Scott's SUV, where the child seats were located. Gammage said the children usually travel with him everywhere, but not that day.

The tragedy left the family in mourning just a few days before Christmas.

“It was very devastating,” said Gammage. “Every year my children and all my grandchildren come to my house. We celebrated, but it was not a happy celebration.”

Melanie Gammage holds up a drawing by one of her son's children during a press conference on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

Gammage held up pictures of her son, some with his four children, at the press conference with LAPD investigators on Wednesday. One of the pictures was a photo of a hand-drawn drawing by his daughter, showing some of the characters crying because they miss Scott, Gammage said.

“He never hurt anyone. He was a loving person. Very happy every day,” Gammage said. “He had four beautiful children who wake up every day and cry before they go to school.”

“I can't sleep at night. I can't eat. I just want justice for my child. That would be great.”

The motive for the shooting is still unclear. Authorities say it was a random act. Investigators are trying to identify the shooters, who were seen on the gas station's security camera video.

“There is someone out there who knows who committed this heinous act,” said LAPD Captain Jamie Bennett. “We need the courage to come forward. As a community, we need to stand together. Mr. Scott was just out buying presents for his children, he needed gas for his car and he was brutally gunned down as he sat there filling up his car.”

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information in the shooting investigation. In a social media post Wednesday, the LAPD provided information about the case and 90 seconds of video from a gas station surveillance camera that captured the violent series of events on December 3, 2023.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Division Detectives at 323-786-5110. During after hours or weekends, calls should be forwarded to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Those wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Finally, tipsters can also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the LA Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.

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