Who Killed Tyrone On All American?

Like its soapy CW forebears, "All American" doesn't skimp on the drama. In the most recent season alone, we've seen engagements, pregnancies, fatal bus accidents, and a cliffhanger stabbing that left Patience's (Chelsea Tavares) fate in the balance.

Indeed, every season of "All American" is so jam-packed, with so much character growth happening so quickly (televised teens age in dog years, it seems), that it can be jarring to reflect back on the early seasons. Then, the catalyst for much of the drama was Tyrone Moore (Demetrius Shipp Jr.). A sinister gang leader in Crenshaw, Tyrone serves as the primary antagonist in Seasons 1 and 2, and is responsible for the drive-by shooting of Spencer (Daniel Ezra), as well as Preach (Kareem J. Grimes). He's an especially menacing figure for Coop (Bre-Z), who becomes increasingly enmeshed in local gang activities. She helps organize his apprehension by the police on the night of the State Championship.

Tyrone's time in jail is short-lived, and soon he's back out on the street. In Season 2, Episode 13, Tyrone is killed on his front porch by an unseen shooter. It's implied that the killer is Coop, who had previously threatened Tyrone's life. In the following episode, titled "Who Shot Ya," we learn that the perpetrator was Ruth Scott (Bernadette Speakes), the mother of Brandon (Jefferson Reid) and Shawn (Jay Reeves), who was avenging her sons' deaths.

Just as Coop is about to take the blame for Tyrone's death, Ruth turns herself in. "I didn't want you to throw away your life for something I did," Ruth says. Even though video evidence implicated Coop in the crime, Ruth couldn't let Coop destroy her life. "I just remember wanting the pain to stop, knowing it wouldn't as long as Tyrone was walking around free." Ruth certainly had the motivation; she lost both of her sons to gang violence in one year, in part owing to Tyrone's ruthless leadership. "You deserve to be a kid," she continues. "You deserve to grow up without the fear of violence. To live out your wildest dreams."

Ruth's admission added some closure to Tyrone's death, and it gave Coop a new lease on life. However, some fans miss the darkness and intrigue that Tyrone lent to "All American." "Let's be honest, he was easily the best villain on this show and the most threatening too," wrote u/CanIGetAName4. "He killed Shawn, shot Spencer and Preach, and ran the oldhead blood out of the city. What other villains got wins like that?"

Another Redditor, u/AnimeTechnoBlade100, concurred, writing, "Tyrone's storyline was clear and he was an actual villain that could've offered real consequences. That's why I personally won't forgive this show when they had Shawn's mom kill him off out of nowhere."

Although Ruth tried to save Coop from a life of violence, she couldn't outrun the tyranny of the Moore family. Season 3 ends in a cliffhanger when Coop is shot by Tyrone's sister, Mo (Erica Peeples).