I-95 shooting victim’s mother announces $5,000 reward still available

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Shiela Núñez is still grieving and she needs closure. Her 22-year-old daughter, Melissa Gonzalez, was the victim of a Jan. 3 shooting and there haven’t been any arrests.

Shiela Núñez (Local 10 News)

Núñez said she still can’t believe her recent Florida International University graduate was shot while she was driving on Interstate 95 in Miami-Dade County.

Gonzalez was near Northwest 79th Street when she was shot at about 8:30 p.m. Her boyfriend Julian Veliz Cortina was in the passenger seat when the single bullet struck her from behind.

A witness who was working in the area said he heard about eight gunshots. On Thursday, Núñez announced the $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the fatal shooting is still available.

Miami-Dade police are searching for the driver of this car who was in the area of I-95 and NW 79th Street the night Melissa Gonzalez was fatally shot. (Miami-Dade Police Department)

Detectives believe a stray bullet killed Gonzalez, and they released the image of a suspect’s dark-colored four-door vehicle with dark rims.

Núñez and Cortina want anyone with information about the shooters or shooters who are responsible for Gonzalez’s death to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.


About the Authors:

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.