The mother of a teen gunned down in Miramar earlier this year is speaking out after the arrest of eight suspected gang members who authorities believe were involved in his murder and multiple others.
Nekeisha Young remembers her 17-year-old son Johnnie Henderson as smart, funny, loving and her football player.
"I always called him my smart child because every time he asked me for something he would say 'oh mom, can you get me this and you don’t got to buy me this. If you just get me the shirt and don’t get me the pants that’s smart, ain't it? That means you only got to buy one thing,'" Young recalled.
Henderson was killed in a drive-by shooting on January 28th when a white car pulled up next to him and shot into his car on University Drive in Miramar.
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His girlfriend, who was in the car with him at the time, was also shot and had critical injuries.
On Wednesday, the Broward Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of eight alleged gang members in connection to his murder, as well as 32 other counts of murder, attempted murder and racketeering.
"They took a great person away from me, and this year it's been rough, I’m not going to lie, it has been rough, and I just thank God that he was able to give me justice for Johnnie and they didn’t get away with it," Young said.
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BSO said this was part of a months-long investigation into unsolved cases across Broward County.
Authorities said the suspects are all members of the Dania Hot Boyz gang, also called Grand Mafia.
They are: 27-year-old Sigmund Brown, 23-year-old Kevaris Johnson, 30-year-old Gerard Charles, 29-year-old Vondarious Davis, 24-year-old Tyriq Jackson, 25-year-old Jared McCabe, 27-year-old Trayvon Key, and 16-year-old Rajah Rolle.
"You took a child, some of them are adults and you're out here killing kids," Young said.
Here's a timeline of the murders they are accused of:
- On Sept. 16, 2021, Wisdom Williams was shot and killed. His body was found in Hallandale Beach.
- On April 9, 2023, Antjuan Dobard was shot and killed in Pembroke Park.
- On May 9, 2023, Vernaldo Donner and Terri McKenzie were both shot and killed near Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale. Police said the group’s intended victim wasn’t even in the car.
- On July 15, 2023, Wayne Smith was shot in Hallandale Beach. He died days later.
- On Sept. 13, 2023, Dorothy Smart was shot and killed in the driveway of her home in Fort Lauderdale.
- On Jan. 20, 2024, Terrance Farrington Jr. was shot and killed near a Best Buy in Plantation. Sigmund Brown’s fingerprint was allegedly found on a car there that launched the multiagency sting leading to these recent arrests.
- On Jan. 28, 2024, Johnnie Henderson became the most recent victim, and hopefully the last.
"Yeah you took my son away from me, I forgive you but God got the last say so and I just thank God that y'all got caught and you thought you were going to get away with it, but you didn’t," Young said.
