Terrell Rogers and his daughter Tierra were very close.

Terrell Rogers was the father of Tierra Rogers, a junior student at Sacred Heart Cathedral and one of the star players on the Sacred Heart Fighting Irish's girl's basketball team, which is ranked number one in the country, according to USA Today and MaxPreps.Com and winner of back to back California State champions in Division III.

He was at the Sacred Heart versus Mitty High (San Jose) rivalry boys and girls doubleheader on Jan. 12 to watch his daughter play, when he walked out the gym at halftime and to his van for a cigarette. As he walked across the street with a friend to his van parked near the school, at 1055 Ellis St., he was approached by two gunmen and shot between five and eight times at his passenger door.

Police and paramedics arrived quickly to the scene, but Rogers was pronounced dead. His friend was not harmed and investigators have not made any arrests in the slaying.

"The investigators have video tape from the scene and they are reviewing it," said San Francisco Police Department spokesman Sgt. Steve Mannina.

At the school, school administrators were coming to grips with the incident and its impact on the students at the school.

"Everyone grieves differently," said John Scudder, the president of the school. "This is an emotional situation for everyone, but we want school to remain as normal as possible."

On Wednesday, the school held a liturgy service which Tierra Rogers attended - the first time she had been at the school since Saturday night. After two games were postponed, the girl's basketball team was scheduled to play Wednesday, Jan. 23, at Notre Dame-Belmont at 4:30 p.m.

Deon Otis, a lifelong friend of Rogers and an assistant varsity boy's basketball coach at Sacred Heart, was devastated by the loss of Rogers.

"He was a father first," said Otis. "He had a big heart and he wanted the best for his kids. His loss is a real big loss for people in the community, as he was really active in the community and he was a positive person. He used to always say they need more dads like us."

A union painter in his day job, Rogers was a very visible figure dealing with anti-gang violence in San Francisco. He founded the non-profit group Peacekeepers and often traveled across the country talking about youth violence and ways to mentor and stop it. He also was a regular presence at youth sporting events across San Francisco.

Email Lee Hubbard at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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