MIAMI – A 14-year-old boy is facing charges in connection with the shooting death of a man who was walking his blind brother to a Liberty City grocery store last month.
Prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged Juaquan Hall with second-degree murder and two counts of attempted armed robbery.
Hall, a father of one and student at Edison Middle School, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He showed no emotion as the judge made it clear that a grand jury would decide this week whether to charge him with first-degree murder.
Police said Ramiro Izquierdo, 20, was fatally shot by Hall Aug. 11 during an attempted robbery.
According to an arrest report, Izquierdo was shot multiple times in the 2100 block of Northwest 57th St.
A 21-year-old man identified as Terrance Smith was apprehended a short time later in possession of a semi-automatic pistol.
Smith was arrested on charges of resisting arrest and openly carrying a firearm. Police said he made several "spontaneous" statements to officers, such as "That's not my gun. He gave it to me," and "I didn't shoot nobody. It was my friend who left on a bike."
Upon further questioning, detectives said Smith claimed he was speaking to Hall when they saw the victim walk by. He said Hall told him he was going to commit a "lick," a street term for robbery.
Police said Smith witnessed Hall shoot Izquierdo multiple times. Another eyewitness also identified Hall as the shooter in a photo lineup.
According to the Miami Herald, much of Izquierdo's family is stricken by a rare eye cancer. He looked after his blind grandmother and blind brother, with whom he lived with in Miami.
Hall is being held in the juvenile wing of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Hall was previously arrested on charges of battery and aggravated assault with a firearm in March when he got into a fight with someone about their respective gang affiliations, an arrest report said.
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