Not a neighborhood where I would go with my 9 year old at night
A heartbreaking loss for the mother of the young boy, but there are so many things wrong here. Take a look at the mother.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-bernardino-child-shooting-20160709-snap-story.html
The father, who was apparently not a gang member, is described as “a dancer and a rapper.” So many things wrong here. The children that live in this environment have few chances.
The father was 26 y/o. The son was already 9 y/o. They were pretty much like brothers. I’ve seen that before. At least he knew who his father was. It’s not advisable, of course, but some people are emotionally ready to parent at a young age. Such closeness can lead to either a good place or a worst case scenario as what happened here.
I wouldn’t go there in broad daylight with a detachment of Marines as an escort.