Who was Michael Latt? Hollywood mourns loss of social justice founder in wake of home invasion tragedy

Lead With Love founder Michael Latt was recently shot dead inside his residence on November 27, 2023, by a homeless woman named Jameelah Elena Michl. Latt was immеdiatеly takеn to thе hospital but hе succumbеd to his injuriеs. The incident happened at around 6 p.m.

Deadline states that Latt previously served as the communications director and political advisor to the nonprofit organization Imagine Justice between 2016 and 2021.

The Los Angeles Police Department shared a statement regarding the incident, saying that the Wilshire Area patrol officers arrived at Latt's house after receiving a call of "Shooting Just Occurred." The officers found Latt in an injured state but his identity was not revealed at the time. The statement continued:

"The suspect remained at the location and was identified as Jameelah Elena Michl, a 36-year-old resident of Los Angeles. Michl was booked for 187 (A) PC – Murder and is being held on $3,000,000 bail, booking number 6717633. Michl's vehicle, which was her primary residence, was booked into evidence as well."

An investigation has been launched into the incident and the motive behind the shooting alongside the link between Michael Latt and Jameelah Elena Michl is yet to be disclosed.

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Michael Latt developed a close relationship with Hollywood throughout his career

According to The Los Angeles Times, Michael Latt acquired his degree in public relations and advertising from Chapman University. He was involved with entertainment marketing for a long time until he developed an interest in social justice activism.

He also formed the entertainment marketing consulting firm Lead with Love in 2019. He served as the chief executive of the company and organized various campaigns and projects in collaboration with popular artists and brands, including the streaming platform Netflix.

Forbes states that Michael was involved with Blackout for Human Rights for some time which emphasized fighting against "state-sanctioned violence and empowering communities through art." In an interview with the magazine in 2019, Michael addressed about his experience working for the movement and said:

"The moment I realized that I could use my skill set for a social good, I decided to dedicate the rest of my career to helping others, empowering storytellers of color, and fighting injustice wherever it stands."

He additionally addressed his plan to launch another company that would work on mass incarceration. He stated that change in the public perception is important to change public policy and added:

"Storytelling is imperative to creating lasting meaningful reform. Through stories and art, we can showcase incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women's humanity, shine a light on injustices in the system and shift the narrative about how we talk about the issues."

Michael's father David Latt is a film producer and his mother Michelle Satter served as the founding director of Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program.

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Michael Latt's family and his colleagues pay tribute

Michael Latt's family shared a picture on his Instagram page where he was posing with the rest of the members. The caption stated that Michael was a "victim to a tragic act of violence" and continued:

"He devoted his career to supporting others, championing organizations that raised up women and artists of color, along with leveraging storytelling, art and various mediums to create enduring change and instill communities with hope, love and inspiration."

Dancer and actress Chloe Arnold praised Michael's involvement with Lead with Love over the years and that he knew the value of friendship and community. She added:

"You were so committed to your community work and elevation and got everyone involved and excited to do the same. Your life made an impact and will never be forgotten."

One of his friends Akilah Hughes paid tribute to him on X (formerly Twitter) by posting a black-and-white picture. She wrote that Michael did everything he could to "elevate the voices and work of Black creatives."

Michael Latt is survived by his family members and further details on his murder investigation are expected to be revealed in the upcoming days.