Miami Gardens man used body to shield 1-year-old son from bullets, family says

Darin Williams, 27, killed in Monday night drive-by

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It's been a difficult week for a South Florida family after Darin Williams, 27, used his body as a shield to protect his 1-year-old son when dozens of shots were fired at them in front of their Miami Gardens home Monday night. 

"Darin was a great guy, great father, young guy, ambitious. Trying to do the right thing," Williams' uncle, Dwight McDaniel, said.

McDaniel recounted the moment he received a heart-wrenching phone call letting him know Williams and his baby boy had been injured in a shooting.

Williams later died of his injuries. 

"I don't really know what goes through your mind. I just needed to get there," McDaniel said.  

Police said the father and son were rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. 

Williams died hours later. 

His son, Darin Williams III, survived but remains in the hospital.

"Little Darin is recovering and, God willing, he will be fine," McDaniel said. "He was trying to do the right thing by his son and bring him up in the crazy world. So he is a standup guy, like he was."

As the family continues to grieve and pray, Miami Gardens police are continuing their hard push to find those responsible. McDaniel also has a few words of his own for the killers, although he is keeping them to himself.

"I don't have a message. Or you don’t want to hear the message I have for them," he said. 

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.


About the Author:

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.