FLORIDA CITY, Fla. – Detectives are searching for a killer while 9-year-old Antavious Scott’s grief-stricken family held a Sunday night candlelight vigil in Florida City.
5 p.m. report:
A neighbor said there was rapid gunfire — about 15 or 20 gunshots — at their apartment complex on Saturday night along West Lucy Street, near Northwest Eighth Avenue.
Antavious “was part of a group of individuals gathered outside the apartment complex when shots were fired and the victim was struck by gunfire,” Detective Andre D. Martin, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, wrote.
According to Martin, police officers with the Florida City Police Department first responded to the shooting shortly after 9:35 p.m., Saturday, and rendered aid.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel used a helicopter to rush Antavious to HCA Kendall Hospital where the medical staff pronounced him dead, according to Martin.
“It ain’t the same without him,” said Antavious’ godbrother, Evans Durosier. “I was on my way home and I got a text message that said he got shot and I didn’t believe nobody.”
Durosier spoke with Local 10 News’ Roy Ramos outside of West Homestead K-8, where Antavious went to school with his younger cousins and where Evans would meet with him at a nearby playground.
He was asked what he is going to miss about Antavious most.
“His smile, his playfulness, he was energetic that was my little brother right there he was energetic he loved to play,” said Durosier.
Florida City Commissioner Walter Thompson, who happens to be a relative of the child victim, pointed to all the other children who were outside playing when the shots were fired.
“How many other kids could’ve gotten hit,” Thompson said. “So I don’t care if it’s a stray bullet, I don’t care its intention.”
There were other shootings earlier in the week in Florida City. A man was killed in a street shooting on Thursday night near Palm Drive and South Dixie Highway. Another man was shot in the face on Tuesday night near Southwest Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street.
Florida City Commissioners Walter Thompson and James Gold spent time at a crime scene on Sunday, offering comfort to the family of a victim.
Thompson, who is related to the victim, emphasized the recent surge in violence, noting it was the fourth shooting in the city within the past week.
“It’s a sad point for Florida City, we had four shootings and three deaths, and one thing you can believe in is in Florida City we do solve our crimes,” Thompson said.
Miami-Dade homicide detectives arrived later to question witnesses. They asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous. There is a reward of up to $5,000 for information resulting in an arrest.
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editors Mercedes Cevallos and Joyce Grace Ortega contributed to this report.