When he was 15, Shawn's brother, Brandon was murdered by a gang member. Shawn got closer to Tyrone who took advantage of his sadness to enlist him in his gang by promising to avenge his brother. At about the same time, Shawn became the father of Maya, whose mother fled after the birth of her daughter, leaving Shawn to take care of her by himself. However, he still went tp class but started selling drugs in order to have money to take care of Maya. He is African-American and lives in Crenshaw.