BROWNSVILLE, Fla. – “Justice for Alana Washington!” That was the plea from a group of protesters who met on Thursday night in Miami-Dade County’s Brownsville neighborhood.
Alana is the 7-year-old girl who was shot in the head during a July 25 drive-by shooting and died on July 27 at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
A one-year-old boy was also injured in the shooting. The protesters said they are concerned about the frequency of pediatric firearm injuries and deaths in Miami-Dade.
“These kids are dying because of the lives that the adults in their lives are living,” said Rebecca Vaughns, one of the protesters near the intersection of 27th Avenue and 54th Street.
In the case of Alana, there is a $55,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Miami-Dade Police Department detectives have yet to find the shooter.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about her murder to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
Gun violence facts
- For years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has considered gun violence — that is killing children and causing them mental health issues and disabilities ― as an important public health problem. The strategies
- Gun violence is the first leading cause of death among Black children.
- 1,500 children are shot and killed each year in the United States.