MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Zedekiah Peacock had a passion for music and raw talent as a keyboardist, playing in his family’s church and professionally for a major record label.
But his big dreams were silenced Sunday evening after a drive-by shooting that left two people injured and the 20-year-old aspiring musician dead at Northwest 61st Street and 31st Avenue.
“He had a gift, a very interesting gift,” Zedekiah’s father Zachery Peacock said. “My son is no longer here, but I’ll endure it.”
His parents, both ministers at their church, are convinced their son was caught in the crossfire. They say Zedekiah stood clear of the troublesome side of the streets.
“That’s not Zeddy. So we can only equate to being at the wrong place at the wrong time and unfortunately, he’s no longer here with us,” the father said.
Aside from music, Zedekiah often posted spiritual messages on social media, the last one just hours before he was killed.
“Holy spirit come into this world,” aunt Kathy Peacock said of his last message.
“Those were his last words. That speaks volumes,” mother Kimberlyn Peacock said. “Pretty much asking God to comfort us.”
While the Peacock family is very much in pain over their loss, they’re drawing on strength from their faith — “His name Zedekiah means justice for God,” his father said — and from the love and memories of a boy who was just beginning to make a mark in the world.
“I know he loved me,” his mother said. “I told him God really blessed me with a good son.”
The two people injured in the shooting Sunday were at last check still being treated at Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center.
The search for the shooter is ongoing, and Miami-Dade police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477. A reward of $5,000 is being offered for a tip that leads to an arrest.