PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Marie Senior said Wednesday her son's killer "hunted" him in Pembroke Pines.
Kadeem Smith, a 23-year-old Charles W. Flanagan High School graduate and a former U.S. Army recruit, was shot dead while sitting on his porch.
Smith was killed after working a shift at Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, about a mile away from his home.
His brother, Keith Wynn, said Smith told him he felt like someone had been following him. When Smith returned home to the Bella Grand complex at 745 NW 103rd Terrace, he was nervous, so he walked out to the porch, Wynn said.
Senior was sleeping. There were gunshots. Wynn said he ran outside and found his brother bleeding.
"I tried to call his name," Wynn said. "I couldn't feel him breathe."
News of his death hurt those who met him at Charles W. Flanagan while he dreamed of a career in the U.S. military. Jeshua Quintana said he got to know Smith when they both participated in the U.S. Army's delayed entry program before going to boot camp at different bases.
"He was a really good person and he was confident in everything he did," Quintana said.
Smith enlisted as a cavalry scout and left to boot camp August 2014. He had left training to undergo surgery and to deal with a medical condition, his family said.
On Facebook, Smith identified himself as a former 19D armored reconnaissance specialist in the Combat Arms branch. He was also proud of his Jamaican heritage.
"I can't believe this happened to him," Quintana said. "It's pretty sad to know that he had a life ahead of him and someone took that away from him."
Smith's grieving mother wants justice.
"It's very hard," she said. "I don't want to say goodbye."
Pembroke Pines police are investigating the fatal shooting. Senior is asking anyone with information about her son's killing to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.