Police are investigating after a 10-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet during a New Year's celebration in northwest Miami-Dade early Wednesday.
Yaneliz Munguia was celebrating with family members outside their home in the 2100 block of Northwest 27th Avenue in Allapattah when she suddenly collapsed around 12:04 a.m., Miami-Dade Police officials said.
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WATCH HEREHer parents started looking her over for injuries and discovered a wound to the back of her head.
They placed her in a car and started searching for a hospital while calling for emergency services, officials said.
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Hialeah Fire Rescue responded to the area of Palm Avenue and West 3rd Street where they found Munguia and rushed her to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where she was pronounced dead.
Munguia had just turned 10 on Dec. 26.
Police believe Munguia was struck by a stray bullet fired into the air by an unknown person and from an unknown location.
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"We speak time and time again every New Year's about the fact that what goes up must come down and this is a prime example of the dangers of shooting a firearm indiscriminately into the air," Det. Andre Martin said. "We have a 10-year-old girl who lost her life at the beginning of the year, we have two parents, a mother and a father, who are now planning a funeral for their daughter to start their year off."
Relatives said the girl and her family live above a Chinese restaurant and had gone outside to celebrate the new year.
"A horrible loss and a disgrace, a girl of 10 years old did not deserve this," one family member said in Spanish. "And imagine how these parents and family are. A moment of happiness turned into a tragedy."
Homicide Bureau detectives are investigating the incident, and Martin said he hopes the person who fired the weapon comes forward.
"It can't be accepted," Martin said. "If you were the person who was firing the weapon into the air, we need you to do the right thing. Accidents happen, this may not have been on purpose, we need you to come forward and speak to our detectives so this family can have closure."
Police are asking anyone with information to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
A GoFundMe was established to help cover Munguia's funeral expenses.
