Men followed victims home from flea market before drive by shooting, state attorney says

After a months-long search, suspects arrested in 7-year-old girl’s killing

MIAMI, Fla. – A 7-year-old girl killed in a drive-by shooting in July was the victim of a grievance between the young girl’s older brother and two other men, according to the state attorney’s office.

One of the two suspects charged in the drive by shooting of Alana Washington was in court Thursday.

Antonio Robinson, 22, appeared in front of Judge Mindy S. Glazer.

“You have an arrest warrant where you are charged with second degree murder and attempted first degree murder,” Glazer told him.

Robinson is facing 3 counts of attempted first degree murder. He had nothing to say to the judge in his first court appearance.

Alana Washington, her aunt, older brother and one-year-old relative were returning to a home on Northwest 51st Street and 29th Avenue when a car drove up and someone opened fire.

Alana, who was shot in the head, was the only one killed in the July 25 shooting. The person who shot and killed Alana and injured 3 others, according to Rundle, was Jaris Baker-Flanders, 23, who was apprehended in Georgia. Robinson, who was driving the car, was taken into custody in Miami.

Court documents revealed that surveillance video taken from Miami flea market was just part of what linked Robinson and Baker-Flanders to the crime.

WATCH: Miami-Dade State Attorney holds news conference giving details on July drive-by shooting.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said that the investigation showed that Robinson and Baker-Flanders targeted the victims at the The Village Flea Market, 7900 NW 27th Ave., before waiting for them to get into their car and then followed them in a gray Nissan Altima.

“The shooter had a grievance between the shooters and Alana’s older brother, who was with Alana and her family at the Flea Market and when they opened fire on the brother, it was Alana that was killed,” Rundle said. “The children were not the intended targets.”

A-one-year old boy was hit in the leg and survived.

In Robinson’s arrest warrant, which describes the drive-by shooting in detail, it states that there was an alert of 27 rounds of ammunition around 8:08 p.m.

Rundle, Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez and Southern District to Florida United States Marshal Gadyaces Serralta held a press conference in front of the State Attorney’s Office Thursday to announce the arrests and give details about the circumstances surrounding the crime.

Alana’s mother Niecey Drayton told Local 10 she has been waiting for this day since the drive by shooting in Brownsville.

“Even though I know we got a long road but I still thank God for this day,” she said, adding that not a day passes that she doesn’t think of her daughter who she describes as adventurous, bright, beautiful and intelligent.


About the Authors:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.