Memorial held for 13yearold killed in Florida City amid calls to stem gun violence
Jan 05, 2025
Loved ones came together in Florida City to grieve the devastating loss of a 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed, as police continue their search for the person responsible for what the community described as a senseless killing.
Hundreds of people gathered to remember Johvon Taylor at a moving memorial that was filled with tears and heartbreak.
Cheryl Walker, a friend of the teen’s family, said he was good person and a dedicated student.
“You guys know him as Johvon; we know him as Wooda,” she said. “He’s a good child, good grades, was not a bad child.”
Police said Taylor was shot and killed Saturday evening.
One day later, family members spoke out at the memorial.
When Wooda come in the room, everything just bright up,” said Jakilah Brady, Taylor’s aunt. “Wooda was the life of the party. Wooda did not deserve what happened to him.”
Miami-Dade Police’s Homicide Bureau is leading the investigation. Detectives said a group of teens were outside a home on Northwest Sixth Avenue, near13th Street, when a gunman approached and opened fire into the group.
A Ring doorbell camera nearby captured the sound of the barrage of gunshots
“He was on the porch, he was eating, and that’s when, I guess, whoever did it just started shooting, and then he tried to run,” said Brady.
Another child was also shot. The young patient was taken to the hospital and is OK.
Paramedics with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue airlifted Taylor to Jackson South Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
“He was a very friendly, joke-ative, he loved football, he loved dirt bikes, he loved playing,” said Brady.
As the community mourns the loss of this child, they’re asking what more can be done about gun violence.
Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace said that in the last several weeks, they’ve dedicated funding to install surveillance cameras in high crime areas and increase their police force.
“We are making the moves that you can make, but in Florida City and all over the country, gun violence is going to continue to occur until we enact stricter laws,” said Wallace.
Loved ones asked the shooter to turn themselves in, and they pleaded for anyone who knows anything to come forward.
“It’s not going to be all right until somebody speaks up, until we get justice, until we get the closure that we need for him, because once again, he did not deserve that,” said Brady. “He wasn’t that type of child for somebody to try to gun him down, murder him.”
If you have any information on this shooting or the whereabouts of the subject responsible, call Miami-Dade Police at 305-476-5423 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.