A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest in the fatal shooting of Lanai Dees, a 21-year-old nursing student tragically killed in November last year. The incident occurred around 12:40 a.m. on November 17, 2024, as Dees was driving near Century Boulevard and Wilton Place in the Gramercy Park area of Los Angeles. According to reports from NBC Los Angeles, she was shot in the head by gunfire from a dark-colored SUV and subsequently crashed into the concrete staircase, dying at the scene.
The monetary incentive for information that leads to a conviction in Dees' case was announced by her family members and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators at a news conference, where emotions ran high. "It's hard to walk past her room every day, knowing that she won't come out and say, 'Good morning, mom. I love you, mom," Dahlin Dees, Lanai's mother, expressed in a moving testimony during a press conference, as per a statement obtained by ABC7. The urgency to bring Dees' killer to justice was palpable, as loved ones described her as "the glue to our family."
Investigators currently have few leads on identifying a gunman or establishing a motive behind the murder, leaving not only a family but an entire community searching for closure. Lanai Dees was described by her brother Jordan Dees as "sweet, kind, and loving," as reported by NBC Los Angeles. In a statement to ABC7, Lt. Steve DeJon with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department referred to the act of violence as "senseless" and one that "shattered this family."
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is backing the reward, as reported by Fox LA. Surveillance video has been released showing the suspect's vehicle, a dark-colored midsize SUV, and deputies encourage anyone with information about this incident to come forward. Lanai's grandfather, Odis Sneed, emphasized the moral imperative of sharing knowledge about the crime during the press conference, citing a biblical passage and stating, "I can’t see anyone agreeing on a 21-year-old child being gun down in the streets; No body should be gun down in the streets," as he told Fox LA. Tips can be submitted to the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
