‘This is my worst nightmare.’ Family of murdered Miami-Dade activist pleads for justice.
Gonzalo Vizcardo Chiesi was shot on a Little Haiti sidewalk and killed. The 29-year-old political activist left behind a grieving family, shattered friends and a community still reeling.
Nearly a month later, Miami Police haven’t caught his killer. They haven’t released names or descriptions of any suspects.
On Tuesday, Vizcardo’s family pleaded publicly, with tears in their eyes, for the community to help bring those responsible for his death to justice.
“This is my worst nightmare,” said Raizha Chiesi, Vizcardo’s mother. “... I ask the public if you see something to let us know.”
Vizcardo was killed just after 1 a.m. on Nov. 7 in the area of Northeast Miami Place and 55th Street. Police say that he was walking home from a restaurant and might’ve stopped at a store along the way before being shot. Officers found him suffering from at least one gunshot wound as he died at the scene.
Miami Police Department Chief Jorge Colina stood by his decision to not release any information Tuesday because of the harm it would cause the investigation. He did say that police know videos were taken of the crime and are asking the public to come forward with footage.
Vizcardo’s close friend Juan Cuba read a prepared statement on behalf of the family that reiterated Chiesi’s feelings of anguish and pleas for closure.
“In death, Gonzalo deserves the same justice he fought for in life,” Cuba read.
Vizcardo was a community advocate, activist and former member of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee.
His friends remember him as a frequent debater who enjoyed swapping books and attending events, like marches, across the city. And though he was active in the Democratic Party, he was also part of bipartisan community groups.
His family said he was an intellectual with a contagious smile.
A GoFundMe campaign set up by the Miami-Dade Democratic Party to cover his funeral costs, which were $6,000, raised about $8,000 in two days, with donations from elected officials, diplomats, community leaders and friends.
In a Facebook event created by Vizcardo’s friends and family to raise awareness that the killer was still at large, they call his death an assassination.
“Miami-Dade has an assassin on the loose. This was not a robbery,” the post said.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest, according to Miami Police.
Anyone with information on the shooting or suspect(s) is urged to call Miami Police’s Homicide Unit at 305-603-6350 or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 5:10 PM.
%20Cropped%20(2).jpg)
