NYT bureau chief Jennifer Steinhauer talks to the father of slain teenager Jamiel Shaw Jr. about the hole in his life and his crusade to amend Special Order 40:

“I don’t care about illegal people who are working here and taking care of themselves,” Mr. Shaw said. “I just feel I am obligated to target illegal aliens in gangs.”

A preliminary hearing in the killing of Jamiel Shaw Jr. is set to begin here on Thursday. Jamiel Jr. — who was black and, according to the police, not known to be affiliated with gangs — and a simmering unease about illegal immigration have unleashed a swell of opposition to the city’s hands-off policy toward immigration enforcement

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"Every day I just see that boy laying in the street dead,” he said, sobbing. “I just want to get him back. That’s why I can’t stop. I’m on a mission. I can’t stop.”

The story picks up on, but doesn't add anything to, the weekend report that Shaw Jr.'s MySpace posts indicated an association with his neighborhood's gang. Journalist-blogger Celeste Fremon of Witness LA is quoted.