April 22, 2001, KCBS.com

Beloved Woman Loses Life To Gang Bullet

Veteran Crossing Guard Unintended Victim Of Attack

Paul J. Young, Staff Writer
April 22, 2001, 4:28 p.m. PDT

WILLOWBROOK, Calif. -- A gang member who was apparently trying to kill one of his rivals Friday instead ended the life of a beloved crossing guard working near McKinley Elementary School.

According to police, Minelva Tippie, 48, was standing near the corner of 116th Street and Avalon Boulevard about 3:30 p.m. when she was struck in the head by a stray bullet.

She died instantly.

"She was the glue that held the rest of us together, and it's going to be really hard now," Tippie's brother told CBS 2 News.

The victim, who was fondly known as "Miss Tippie" to coworkers and the kids she shepherded across the street each day, was the mother of three children and seven grandchildren.

A native of Los Angeles, Tippie had been a crossing guard since 1984.

"She worked hard all of her life, and just when she started to maybe get her head above water, then something like this comes along and happens," Tippie's brother said tearfully.

Who fired the fatal bullet remains unknown. But according to investigators, the shooter was chasing a rival gang member on foot and firing a semi-automatic handgun at him at the same time. One of the gang member's bullets went wide of the mark and traveled the distance from the crime scene to Miss Tippie.

The 30-year-old man targeted in the attack was wounded, but his injuries were not life-threatening, authorities say.

Anthony Lindsey, a long-time friend and fellow coworker of the crossing guard, told CBS 2 News that he could barely keep from falling apart when he saw who it was laying motionless on the street corner, with paramedics on either side of her, Friday afternoon.

"I came down the street, and Miss Tippie was lying on the ground," Lindsey said. "I just turned around and left. I couldn't deal with it."

Tippie's oldest son, Deshawn, told CBS 2 News that his mother may be gone, but her presence and the lasting values that she instilled in her children and everyone around her remain strong.

"She had a tremendous impact on me, my brother, sister and cousins," he said. "That's the biggest thing. And she's looking down on me right now and saying, 'That's my boy.' Just like she left me."