Latasha Harlins

Outcome

unknown

On the morning of Saturday, March 16, 1991, Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old African American girl, was shot in the back of the head and killed by Soon Ja Du, a 49-year-old Korean American store owner, at Empire Liquor Market Deli in South Central Los Angeles. Harlins had entered the store to purchase a $1.79 bottle of orange juice, which she placed in her backpack while holding two dollars in her hand to pay. Du accused her of stealing and grabbed her backpack, triggering a physical altercation. After Harlins threw the orange juice bottle on the counter and turned to leave, Du pulled a .38-caliber handgun from beneath the counter and shot her in the back of the head, killing her instantly. The entire incident was captured on the store's security camera. The killing occurred just thirteen days after the videotaped beating of Rodney King and inflamed racial tensions between African American residents and Korean American merchants in South Central Los Angeles. Du was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter but received only probation, a sentence that—combined with the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King—contributed to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Latasha Harlins was born on January 1, 1976 (some sources say July 14, 1975), in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Crystal Harlins and Sylvester Vester Acoff Sr. She had a younger brother, Vester Jr., and a younger sister, Christina. The family moved to South Central Los Angeles in 1981 when Latasha was six years old, settling near 89th Street and Broadway—just a few blocks from where she would later be killed. Her parents' marriage ended in 1983 due to her father's abuse. On November 27, 1985, when Latasha was nine years old, her mother Crystal was shot and killed outside a Los Angeles nightclub by her father's new girlfriend. After her mother's death, Latasha and her siblings were raised by their maternal grandmother, Ruth Harlins, whom the children called "Madea." Despite the trauma of losing her mother, Latasha thrived. In middle school, she ran track and was on the honor roll. She was described as a caretaker who cooked for her family, made sure her siblings did their chores and homework, and made sure others had before she had. At the time of her death, she was a student at Westchester High School. She dreamed of becoming a lawyer and wanted to buy her grandmother a big house. On the morning of March 16, 1991, Latasha walked into Empire Liquor Market Deli to buy orange juice. She took a $1.79 bottle from the refrigerator, placed it in her backpack, and approached the counter with two dollars in her hand—more than enough to pay. Soon Ja Du, who co-owned the store with her husband, saw the bottle in Harlins's backpack and immediately accused her of stealing. Du grabbed Harlins's sweater and backpack, and a struggle ensued. Harlins struck Du with her fist, and Du threw a stool at her. Harlins then placed the orange juice bottle on the counter and turned to leave the store. As Harlins walked away, Du reached beneath the counter, pulled out a .38-caliber handgun, and shot Harlins once in the back of the head from approximately three feet away. Latasha Harlins died instantly, falling face-down on the floor. Two witnesses were present, and the store's security camera recorded the entire incident. The video clearly showed that Harlins was holding money and had turned away from Du when she was shot. The killing of Latasha Harlins, coming just thirteen days after the world watched LAPD officers beat Rodney King on videotape, deepened the already strained relations between African American and Korean American communities in South Central Los Angeles. Many Black residents felt that Korean merchants treated them with suspicion and disrespect, and Harlins's death became a symbol of that mistreatment. On November 15, 1991, a jury convicted Du of voluntary manslaughter and recommended the maximum sentence of 16 years in prison. However, Judge Joyce Karlin sentenced Du to only five years of probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine—with no prison time. On April 21, 1992, a California appeals court upheld the sentence. Eight days later, on April 29, 1992, the acquittal of the four LAPD officers who beat Rodney King sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots. During the uprising, Empire Liquor was looted and burned, and Korean-owned businesses throughout South Central and Koreatown were specifically targeted—a direct consequence of the unresolved anger over Latasha Harlins's death and the lenient sentence her killer received. The Harlins family later received a $300,000 settlement from Du's insurance company. Tupac Shakur dedicated his 1993 song "Keep Ya Head Up" to Latasha Harlins, and in 2020, Netflix released a documentary titled "A Love Song for Latasha" celebrating her life.