MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A 13-year-old boy who was killed over the weekend after a gun went off inside a Miami Gardens home has been identified by relatives as George Harris Jr.
Tributes were posted to social media this weekend honoring the life of the young teen, who played football in Liberty City.
Harris was believed to have been playing video games inside a bedroom at a home on Northwest 207th Street near 38th Avenue in Miami Gardens Saturday night with several other teens.
“As of right now, it seems as if there were kids playing with a firearm,” Miami Gardens police Sgt. Emmanuel Jeanty said.
Police rushed to the home around 7:40 p.m. Saturday where they found Harris suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Paramedics airlifted the teen to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood in critical condition, but he later succumbed to his injuries.
“A lot of people do have firearms these days and it’s up to us to ensure that if we’re going to have firearms in our home, to keep them locked up and to make sure that they stay away from the reach of kids,” Jeanty said.
Harris died several hours after arriving to the hospital.
“I can tell you that the police department, we do give out gun locks and we give out different types of kits to family members and homeowners to keep these firearms locked under the reach of kids, because our children’s safety is our top priority,” Jeanty said.
Detectives detained several people for questioning, but it’s unclear whether anyone will be facing charges.
Harris’ mother, meanwhile, posted a flyer to social media inviting the community to honor her son during a vigil set for this Wednesday.
“It is very difficult to find words that can adequately express our thoughts, and we would ask that the media respect our family’s privacy at this time,” she also posted to social media.