On the night of Oct. 11, Skyline College student Angelo “Marcel” Johnson, 19, was tragically murdered at Randolph and Bright streets in San Francisco.

Johnson, a graduate of Terra Nova High School, was born on Jan. 25, 1985. He was an only child and leaves behind his family and girlfriend. He majored in Criminal Justice while attending Skyline College. To the friends who knew him, Teal Bourne and Shardae White, he was very intelligent and was a great person.

“I only knew him a short time,” Bourne said, “but in the time I knew him, [he was a] very intelligent black man-he was serious about his education. He wasn’t the type of person to ignore you if he saw you, he would smile and say ‘hi’ even if he didn’t know you…he was the type of person who loved to be happy.”

White wrote down her thoughts about Johnson on how he was a nice and caring individual.

“What I admired most about Angelo, was the fact that he liked to share-share from candy all the way down to knowledge,” White wrote. “He made you want to think and even challenged you on your beliefs; while he was prepared for you to do the same thing for him. I also admired the loyalty he had for people he cared about.”

Johnson focused on his studies at Skyline College. He worked hard on his grades and worked hard to maintain them. One of the classes he took was Black Psychology, taught by Dr. Tony Jackson. Jackson believed that Johnson was a great student in the classroom. The work he turned in showed well above average skills and intelligence.

“I enjoyed Angelo in the class and was looking forward to some of the discussions that would come later in the semester,” Jackson said. “He was a good kid. I felt that he was extremely respectful and had an immediate impact on those around him. It is always sad to see potential cut down in that way.”

Johnson was dating a fellow student at Skyline College, Leslie Peete around the time he was killed. They dated a short time, only three weeks, but they had seen one another around campus. The two would see each other Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 7 a.m. and would also talk everyday. They would have phone conversations and hang out around campus and at Serramonte Mall.

Peete and her boyfriend had a disagreement on the day he was murdered; Johnson wanted Peete to call him at 7 p.m. When Peete called at 7:30, Johnson didn’t answer his phone but a friend of his answered and told her he was outside. Peete kept calling back but he never picked up.

Peete shortly got a phone call from her cousin Lydia, telling her that there was shooting outside. When she got the phone call she called Johnson’s voice mail leaving a message hoping that he wasn’t the one that was shot, and for him to call back and to tell her he was OK. When her cousin called back, she had told Peete that there was a slight possibility that Johnson was shot. When she found out that he was shot, she was in shock.

“My heart dropped,” Peete said. “I broke down crying. My whole life was crumbled. Everything just stopped.

“Why Marcel? Marcel didn’t do anything to anybody. He was a good person, good grades, he was on top of his stuff. He never tried to hurt anybody. He just tried to be Marcel and just live his life. I don’t understand that. It was just hard.”

According to Peete, when Johnson was shot he was alone and was running. He was shot in the back and fell to ground and was screaming, ‘Somebody help me,’ and was then shot in the head.

Peete talked to Johnson’s family and relatives and told them she was there for them.

Family members of Johnson remembered him as someone who loved to help others. Johnson was involved with his parish, Greater Calvary Hill Missionary Baptist Church, where he was a youth ambassador for young kids, an usher, and sang in the choir. His aunt Melinda recalled him being such a wonderful person.

“He always cared about people and he always wanted to invite his friends to church,” Melinda said. “He was into politics, reading, debating, loved to sing and write songs.”