MIAMI – The mother of 16 year-old boy who was shot and killed last week in the Little Haiti section of Miami is urging the gunman to turn himself in.
Miami police said Jose Velez was fatally wounded just before 8 p.m. Wednesday near Northeast Miami Place and 57th Street. Police are still searching for the suspect and have asked the public for help.
"For the person who killed my son, I forgive you," Jose's mother, Wanda Gomez, said Tuesday. "Please turn yourself in. I’m gonna be day by day, day by day looking for you."
The Miami area has seen a spate of shootings in recent weeks. Several teenagers and children -- including a 2-year-old boy killed by stray bullet -- have been among the victims.
Gomez said Jose had dropped out of high school, but he was working on getting his GED Diploma. She said Jose loved to make people laugh.
Gomez said she does not know why someone would kill her son.
Meanwhile, the family is grief-stricken as it prepares for Jose's funeral later this week.
"Every time I open my eyes, I think this is a nightmare," Gomez said. "I need my son. I need to see him. I want to hug him."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective M. De Los Santos at 305-603-6350 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477