SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Two weeks after a southwest Miami-Dade shooting left a young man and his two cousins dead at a graduation celebration, his loved ones gathered in his memory.
On Thursday, loved ones gathered outside of Miami Dade College’s Kendall campus at the very spot where William Everett Junior lost his life — detectives discovered his body there after the shooting.
“He was my only child,” said his mother, Candis Hiltonson. “I don’t have no more kids.”
Earlier in June, Junior’s mother spoke to Local 10 News about her only son who was killed in a mass shooting outside the Hookah Inn, located at 10549 SW 109th Ct. The Hookah Inn is located near Miami Dade College.
“It’s one thing to have a target. It’s another thing to shoot randomly. That’s stupid,” his mother added.
Junior, 22, was killed along with his two cousins, 20-year-old Tyleshia Taylor, who was a state corrections officer, and 18-year-old Jahem Ziegler — all of whom were celebrating a loved ones graduation at Hookah Inn.
Junior’s mother says she was babysitting his young son that fateful night.
“And his number one concern was his son, so, he didn’t hang out,” explained his mother. “Everything he did, he did with his son. That night, I told him to have fun to go out.”
His father also spoke to Local 10 News about this late son, who he says, was a great father.
“He was a good kid,” said Junior’s father. “He loved his son. That’s the main thing. He loved his child. And his mom.”
Surveillance video shows that the otherwise calm night was completely disrupted before flashes of police lights are seen on the tape.
Three teenage suspects who were at Hookah Inn that night have since been arrested on charges of attempted murder. However, the charges stem for a separate shooting.
According to investigators, the teenagers from West Perrine had an ongoing feud with other partygoers from Florida City. They’re accused of firing shots into a car of people on the turnpike, injuring the driver. The people inside the car, we’re told, were also at the graduation party.
However, no direct connection has been made between that incident and the mass shooting outside of the hookah lounge. No official arrests have been made for the mass shooting.
“These kids out here shooting — it’s hard, so, if you know something, come forward. We’re hurting,” said Junior’s father.
The venue has since been shut down for code violations.