Carson, CA — Shari Sanders of Altadena died Saturday, Oct. 3, after she was found unresponsive in the seating area at Carson’s annual Jazz Festival at Anderson Memorial Park, as temperatures neared 100 degrees.
The National Weather Service had an Extreme Heat Warning in effect for parts of Los Angeles County that day. An official c ause of death has not been determined. Sanders’ son told KTLA he believes the heat contributed to her death and that she had no underlying health problems.
In the days since, her death has prompted questions about the emergency response, conditions at the event and the decision to continue the festival, along with appeals from residents to remember her grieving family.
An attendee who said he was present described the rescue effort in a social media post. According to his account, his girlfriend began chest compressions while another attendee, identified in the post as “Dr. Leslie,” gave rescue breaths. Someone from the park brought an automated external defibrillator, which was used before paramedics arrived and took over.
He estimated paramedics arrived about 15 minutes after the rescue effort began. Sheila E. has put the wait at about 20 minutes.
“We started praying calling her name Shari come back to us, please come back to us,” he wrote.
Leslie has publicly criticized the city, saying it put money and events ahead of people.
In a video posted on social media, featured performer Sheila E. said she learned of the death before her set, dedicated her performance to Sanders’ family and held a moment of silence. She said she later learned that Sanders’ body was not removed until about 5 p.m., after her band finished around 4:30, and that she “should not have played.”
She said she had heard there was “minimal access to hydration stations” and that organizers should have “stopped the festival.” “Carson City, you need to do better,” she said.
Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes has expressed condolences to Sanders’ family. The city said it is reviewing the circumstances, cooperating with appropriate authorities and coordinating grief and counseling resources.
Some residents have pushed back against what they describe as divisive online arguments. In a Carson 411 post, Lavonne Ford urged residents to focus on Sanders’ family. “This is just separating us as a community,” she wrote.
Drea Chatman-Robinson, another Carson 411 participant, defended the city’s leadership and called for restraint. “I believe it serves no one to assign blame for this heartbreaking event,” she wrote, urging the public and performers to respond with “understanding, professionalism and kindness.”
The Carson Compass will continue to report on the investigation.
