MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Nathaniel Jackson, 17, was identified Tuesday by authorities as the teen who was shot and killed the day before in Miami Gardens.
"Nate was the life. He was my life, he was (his) siblings' life. Everybody wanted to be around him," Jackson's mother, Caroline Bivens, told Local 10 News.
Bivens said her family is in pain after the death of her son.
"This family is hurting," she said. "We are hurting because we lost a good person. We lost a good person."
The shooting was reported at 3:50 p.m. Monday in the 2900 block of Northwest 207th Street.
Police said Jackson was found by officers suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where he died.
Detectives shut down roads in the neighborhood after the shooting as they interviewed a number of teenage witnesses.
Local 10 News reporter Terrell Forney was told that the victim, known as Nate, was sitting in a chair on the porch of a home when a car drove by and someone inside opened fire.
Jackson was shot in the chest.
Relatives said he did not live at the home, and was visiting friends. They do not believe he was the intended target.
"If everybody can just come together and tell us what happened, man -- that's all we need. We can't move unless people talk, man," Jackson's older brother, Cedric Bivens, said.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho took to Twitter shortly after the shooting to condemn the violence that continues to affect teenagers in South Florida.
"17-year-old gunned down in broad daylight today," he tweeted. "Violence continues to victimize our youth and ravage our community, one bullet at a time."
No arrests have been made and a motive is unknown.
"We lost a good person," Caroline Bivens said.
Jackson was one of six children in his family and was known as a jokester.
He was an athlete, and had trophies for karate, football, and track, which line his family's living room.
Anyone with information is asked to call Miami Gardens police at 305-474-1560. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. A reward of up to $3,000 is offered for information that leads to an arrest.
17-year-old gunned down in broad daylight today. Violence continues to victimize our youth and ravage our community, one bullet at a time.
— Alberto M. Carvalho (@MiamiSup) July 10, 2017
