A nine-year-old boy was killed Saturday night during a shooting in Florida City, in south Miami-Dade, police said.
The shooting happened around 9:36 p.m. at the South Point Apartments on West Lucy Street.
When Florida City police officers arrived at the scene, they found a nine-year-old boy unresponsive. He was airlifted to HCA Kendall Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, Florida City police said.
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The victim was identified as Antavious Scott. Family and friends set up a memorial for the child, with stuffed animals and candles spelling out his nickname, Tay Tay.
Miami-Dade Police, now in charge of the case, said the preliminary investigation revealed that Scott was part of a group of people gathered outside the apartment complex when shots were fired. The victim was struck by gunfire.
"This is a community tragedy, and it belongs to all of us. Together, we must pull together to bring JUSTICE to Antavious Scott and his family," a Crime Stoppers post said.
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Florida City Commissioner Walter Thompson said his wife is related to the boy and his family.
“You’re targeting an area where kids live. If you're targeting an area where kids live, you're responsible for anything that happens there," Thompson said. "I don't care if it is a stray bullet, I don’t care if it was intentional, you're supposed to get everything that happens to you for targeting the area.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.