Woman collapses outside hospital where daughter taken after drive-by shooting

Jada Page, 8, declared brain dead after getting shot in head, mother says

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. ā€“ A South Florida woman whose 8-year-old daughter was shot in the head Sunday afternoon during a drive-by shooting collapsed outside Jackson Memorial Hospital Tuesday morning.

Dominique Brown was expected to speak with reporters, but she was too distraught and had to be taken back inside the hospital.

Brown confirmed on social media that her daughter, Jada Page, had been declared brain dead.

Miami-Dade police said Jada, and her father, James Pages, 32, were shot shortly after 5 p.m. outside a home on Northwest 25th Avenue and 102nd Street.

Police said the man was shot multiple times in the upper torso, and the fourth-grader, who just started school at Sea Castle Elementary in Miramar, was shot in the head.

Both were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where Jada was listed in critical condition. Her father's condition has not been released.

Rugina Talabert knows all too well what Brown is going through. Her own daughter, Noricia Talabert, 17, was killed similarly in Florida City back in October.

"I came to support this family and speaking with them, they are like family to me," she said. "It reminded me of my daughter because she was shot in the head with an AK-47."

The parents of shooting victims Joshua Mosely, 18, and King Carter, 6, also visited Brown. Talabert said they all understand that losing a child is something nearly impossible to bounce back from, and how important it is to come together.

"The pain don't go anyplace," Talabert said. "So if you see something, please say something, because you just destroyed a whole family."

Miami-Dade police passed out flyers Monday in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred in hopes of finding a witness or someone who had information about the shooting.

"If you know something say something, not only for this one, but also for the 15-year-old who was shot and killed down the street on 83rd Street at a wake," Miami-Dade police Director Juan Perez said.

"It is not until we stand up, speak up, shout out and demand that this will stop," Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.

Relatives said Page was getting ready to go to the movies when she was shot. Jada's mother shared a photo on social media of her holding her daughter's hand in the emergency room, saying she is praying for a miracle.

"The doctors say there are miracles and there is reality. But God, I know you have the final say," she wrote.

On Tuesday, Brown continued to ask people to pray for her daughter.

"Somebody told me last night that it's things like this that make them not believe in God. But all I got left is my faith," Brown wrote on Facebook. "The doctors gave up on my baby. Lord, I need the prayer warriors more than ever right now. I'm trusting and believing that somehow, some way she's going to come out of this. Lord, I'm not ready to give her back."

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Miami-DadeĀ Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. A $23,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.