MIAMI – While a father who lost his 6-year-old son to gun violence tried to keep his composure in Miami-Dade County court, a mother who lost her 16-year-old son was marching for peace in Overtown.
Friday was a difficult day for Santonio Carter and Tranell Harris. They are both still grieving. Carter was dealing with anger at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building.
The father listened to his neighbor 17-year-old Juwuan Ray, also known as Juju. The teen said he was at the Blue Lake Village apartments in Northwest Miami-Dade when King, a first-grader at Van E. Blanton Elementary School, was killed. He had borrowed a gun, he said.
"Seen someone with a gun in his hand, firing at me," Juwuan said during his testimony at a bail hearing for one of the accused gunmen. "Jumped up, started shooting back."
After the shooting, Juwuan remembers Carter checked up on him to make sure he hadn't been shot. The two looked for King. Carter had given him $3 to buy candy.
"He found him first. In front of the rental office door. Lying down, kind of on his side," Juwuan said.
It was all too much for Carter, who was wearing a "SaveOurKings" red T-shirt. The father got up and stormed out of the courtroom. Police do not know who killed King, because the bullet went right through him. Detectives said the location of the body was out of Juwuan's range.
Leonard Adams, 18, was in the courtroom wearing a red jumpsuit. He stared at the floor in shame. Juwuan identified him as one of the gunmen, because he recognized his hair style. Juwuan said Adams tried to kill him, but instead killed King, whom he considered like a little brother.
"Every time he [King] would see me, he would call my name," Juwuan said.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Stephen Millan ruled that Adams was to stay in jail. Adams, Irwen Pressley, 17, and Tamar Teems, 16, are accused of trying to kill Juwuan, because they were angry over one of his Facebook posts, police said. Irwen had the 9 mm gun he used during the shooting, police said.
Juwuan said he made fun of Adams, who was injured in the fatal shooting and was admitted to Jackson North Hospital, and Irwen on Facebook. Prosecutors charged the two teenagers as adults.
"No parent is supposed to outlive a child, not a 6-year-old child," Millan said. "What nobody is talking about is that these are children shooting children. It's a statement on the prevalence of violence in our society."
ACTIVISM IN OVERTOWN
Meanwhile, Harris was learning to live with the loss of her son, who was also shot dead in Miami-Dade County.
Harris has had a longer time to process the killing. Her son Richard Hallman died from gunshot wounds he suffered March 24, 2015. He was shot blocks away from where a stray bullet -- over a drug deal gone wrong --killed 10-year-old Marlon Eason while he played basketball with his cousin in Overtown.
Harris had a request for those who witness crimes, but may be too afraid to testify: "If you know something, say something."
Marlon's grandmother Dorothy Ruffin was with Harris Friday. The two participated in "The Peace, Love and Respect Overtown" one-mile run, walk and ride event. Dozens turned out to walk along 5th Avenue to Williams Park, 1717 NW 5th Ave., where a rally was held until about 7:30 p.m.
Harris and Ruffin said they felt the community's support. Miami Police Chief Rodolfo "Rudy" Llanes was there. The Miami Overtown Tornados track team also participated.
