La charity founder Michael Latt known as 'super sweet guy' who worked with rapper Common shot dead inside home
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Michael Latt, 56, the founder of a charity has died after being shot. Latt whose charity 'Lead With Love' worked for social justice change through art, was reportedly killed by a homeless woman who broke into his Los Angeles home on Monday, November, 27 night.
Jameelah Elena Michl, 36 charged with murder
The homeless woman, Jameelah Elena Michl, 36, was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. Police say she lived in her car, which has been taken in for processing, Law and Crime reports.
Latt was shot in the chest by Michl around 6 pm at his house in the 900 block of Alandele Avenue in the Wilshire area, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was rushed to the hospital by the paramedics where he succumbed to his injuries.
Elena Michl is in the Los Angeles County Jail on a $3 million bond.
Michael Latt was described by his friends as a ‘super sweet guy’
Latt’s neighbors and friends were shocked and saddened by his death. Avarie Shevin, who lived next door to Latt, told KTLA that she saw Michl standing in the walkway with her hands up when the police arrived.
“I’m heartbroken, I’m shocked,” Shevin said, adding “I can’t wrap my brain around what could’ve happened that caused him to be shot and killed. I keep picturing his face and I cannot believe he has passed.”
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Shevin described Latt as a “super sweet guy” who lived with his girlfriend and their pets. She said he was always friendly and helpful to his neighbors.
“I can’t wrap my brain around what could’ve happened that caused him to be shot and killed. I keep picturing his face and I cannot believe he has passed,” she said.
Michael Latt was known as a visionary leader
Latt founded the charity Lead With Love which “harnesses the power of art to spark change, bring love, hope and healing to communities and empower others,” its Instagram page says.
The charity organized events such as the 2017 'Hope & Redemption Tour' where the rapper Common performed concerts for inmates at more than 10 California prisons.
Latt also helped organize the 'MLK Now' events on Martin Luther King Jr Day at Harlem’s Riverside Church that featured speakers such as Lupita Nyong’o, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael B Jordan.
Latt was passionate about using storytelling to create meaningful reform and change public perception as revealed in the Forbes 2019 interview.
“Through stories and art, we can showcase incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women’s humanity, shine a light on injustices in the system and shift the narrative about how we talk about the issues,” Latt told the publication.
“In order to change public policy, we have to change public perception," he added.
He worked on the marketing team that promoted the 2013 movie 'Fruitvale Station', which depicted the killing of Oscar Grant III, a Black man who was shot by a police officer on a subway platform in Oakland, California.
"#LeadWithLove, founded by @MichaelLatt, harnesses the power of art to spark change, bring love, hope and healing to communities and empower others,: the bio of the charity reads on Instagram.
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“Working on Ryan Coogler’s 'Fruitvale Station' opened my eyes up to how prevalent and insidious white supremacy is in our country and also showed me the potent power of storytelling to change hearts and minds,” Latt told Forbes in a 2019 interview.