Black women and girls in Los Angeles are disproportionately represented among homicide victims, and with frustration mounting over the response from police and legislators, families and community organizers are taking action to address the violence themselves.
A Family's Loss and a Community's Outrage
Tioni Theus was a lively 13-year-old who enjoyed golf, dance, and outings with her older cousin Nafeesah Kincy. Her life changed dramatically when her mother was critically injured in a car accident, leaving Tioni to live with other family members. Kincy said the accident left Tioni angry and struggling to understand her permanently altered life.
Tioni began talking to strangers online and spending time with unfamiliar people. Over two years, she stopped attending school and became "lost in the streets," according to Kincy. Family members pleaded with her to stay with them permanently, but on 8 January 2021, Tioni's body was found on a highway with a gunshot wound to her neck. She was 16.
Her killing sparked outrage in LA's Black community, with calls for a swift investigation and measures to curb violence. Black women and girls make up about four percent of the LA region's population but represent an outsized share of female homicide victims. A $115,000 reward was offered, and the city commissioned a report on the issue, but five years later, no arrests have been made in her case.
Girls Speak Out on Safety
Teen girls in the area say they regularly feel unsafe, being followed by men while walking home and witnessing shootings. Ken'Niyia, a 15-year-old from Inglewood, said, "It feels like people just don't care. It feels like Black women are not seen as something that should be protected."
The girls participated in workshops organized by the Women's Leadership Project (WLP), a nonprofit offering mentorship to teen girls and educating them on gender-based violence. The program gives them a space to discuss their experiences. "It gives us Black girls a chance to be vulnerable with each other," said 17-year-old Laniyah.
Dalila, 17, who has witnessed shootings outside her home, said, "It feels like anything that happens to us, Black women in Los Angeles, is our fault." The girls live in areas that have long seen an outsized share of the city's violence and systemic neglect.
Persistent Disparities in Homicide Data
While overall homicides in LA have declined, domestic violence killings remain persistent. In 2022, LA recorded 392 homicides, declining to 284 by 2024. Domestic killings remained consistent, with 32 murders in 2022 and 33 in 2024. Black women make up about 13.5% of the city's female population but a third of its female domestic homicide victims.
Black women had the highest homicide rate of any racial group in 2024, according to California department of health data. Nationally, about 700 Black women were killed by men in 2024, compared to about 1,500 white women, according to a Violence Policy Center analysis. Black women make up 13% of the US female population, while white women make up 55%.
The city of LA says it is working to address the issue by bolstering its response network for domestic violence victims and funding gun violence prevention programs. The mayor's office cited investments in the gang reduction and youth development (GRYD) program, which has helped bring down homicides in South Central by almost 30% in 2025. California also created the Ebony Alert in 2023, a first-in-the-nation emergency notification system for missing Black women and girls, which has been activated for 182 people since 2024.
Unsolved Cases and a Call to Action
Black women and girls' homicide cases are less likely to be solved. In 2022, LAPD solved all killings of Black female victims, but that rate declined to 90% in 2023, 67% in 2024, and just half in 2025, according to LAPD's annual homicide reports.
Shalissa Collier, whose daughter Mikeona Johnson was found dead in 2020, pushed for answers after LAPD closed the case. Her efforts, along with new information, led to the arrest and conviction of Phillip Charles Howze, who was sentenced to 15 years to life. "Now she can finally rest," Collier said.
Families and organizers say the community also has a role in preventing violence. "I feel like as a community we can't be silent any more," Kincy said. "We can't wait for politicians, lawmakers or even the police. We have to stand up and make people accountable." Michael Dolphin, Tioni's great-uncle, hopes for more resources for rehabilitation programs. "We need to figure out ways to catch these kids earlier," he said.
