‘He always had a smile on his face’

No matter what hardship Ernest Cummings encountered, when asked how he was doing, he always replied, “I’m good.”

The victim of a suspected homicide, Cummings died of a gunshot wound inflicted by a still unidentified shooter on East Hudson Street on March 22. He was 46.

Cummings, who was known as “Coo Coo” by friends, family and neighbors, was best known for his lifelong passion for animals, particularly his pit bulls. “I noticed a genuine love for animals and that started the bond between us,” said his close friend Roy Lassiter, who met Cummings through a mutual friend 13 years ago.

Lassiter emotionally described an incident when Cummings saw a starving and shivering dog tied to a fence of a neighborhood home. Cummings confronted the homeowners about the apparent neglect and convinced them to allow him to take the dog in. Lassiter said Cummings nursed the animal back to health and kept him until a home could be found.

“Coo was a person that loved life and didn’t let the toils and troubles of life get him down,” said Lassiter. “He always had a smile on his face.”

Cummings, who joined the military in 1982, used his experiences to teach neighborhood youth the value of bettering themselves and finding the true values in life, like family.

“He was one to let children know that this was something they can do in life rather than be trapped here in Long Beach,” said Lassiter, who considered Cummings a brother. Lassiter added that he, too, learned a lot from Cummings about coping with emotions and how to enjoy the important things in life.

Others who knew Cummings remembered his loyalty and his willingness to lend a helping hand or a listening ear when anyone needed it. Derrick White, who knew him for 20 years, said their long talks helped White cope with the loss of his 9-year-old son, Kerone, in December.

White said that Cummings would help anyone in need, including strangers. “Even if he didn’t know you, he spoke to you,” White said. Cummings would smile and say hello to those he saw as he walked his dogs through the North Park neighborhood.

“He loved his family, he loved his dogs,” said White. “He loved a lot of things that he was involved with in the community.”