Man Charged in Deadly Shooting of ‘Liberty City’s Matriarch’

Prosecutors have charged a man in connection with the deadly shooting of an 85-year-old woman who was considered beloved in her Liberty City community.

James Calvin Velazquez, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 9 killing of Elizabeth "Miss Liz" Level, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Friday.

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Level was shot and killed on the front porch of her home on the 1000 block of 52nd Street.

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For the past month, the men & women of @MiamiPD and @KathyFndzRundle’s Office tasked w/ investigating “Miss Liz’s” murder worked tirelessly to ID & apprehend her killers. Yesterday’s arrest is the first of more to come. We won’t stop until all responsible are brought to justice. https://t.co/Lev8JyEq1a
— Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar (@AAguilarMPD) October 8, 2022

"Our elderly residents should never have to fear anything while sitting peacefully on their own front porch," Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Yet, this is exactly the type of peace that gun-toting gang members wish to steal from the residents of our community. No member of Miami-Dade’s law enforcement community will let that happen. I commend the City of Miami Police Department for their investigative determination aimed at bringing this individual before the judges of our criminal courts."

Family and loved ones gathered Tuesday with candles, balloons and flowers in a vigil honoring the life and legacy of Elizabeth Level, the 85-year-old woman that was shot and killed Friday. NBC 6's Ryan Nelson reports.

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Prosecutors said the arrest came after investigators obtained information from the footage of a trailer camera that was placed across Level's residence due to prior shootings and investigations.

Level's family members are members of a specific gang, and Velazquez is allegedly a member of a rival gang, prosecutors said.

“The Miami Police Department is committed to seeking justice for all crime victims in the City of Miami, particularly for the most vulnerable among us,” Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales said in a statement. “Elizabeth Level was an elderly resident of our city who deserved to live her golden years in peace. Instead, her life was abruptly and violently ended by a bullet intended for someone else."

Morales said more people are expected to be arrested in Level's murder.

Days after Level's death, family, friends, neighbors, anti-violence activists, faith leaders and City of Miami Police officers gathered to remember her in a vigil.

“Grandma Liz is not just their grandma, she was Liberty City’s grandmother. She was Liberty City’s matriarch,” said the family's attorney, Nykeah Cohen.