‘Everyone loved them’. Family mourns children, grandmother killed in Miami Gardens crash

Kamari Graham had just celebrated his 10th birthday on Friday. The next day, he was out with his family, heading to a movie theater in Miami Gardens when their car was slammed from behind by a 25-year-old driver who police said had alcohol in his system and was careening down the road at nearly 100 mph.

Kamari, his two sisters and his grandmother were killed in the crash.

A memorial of stuffed animals, candles, flowers and balloons was visible on the sidewalk near the crash site Tuesday afternoon. Some of the plushies had numerous names written on them, hearts drawn all over and prayers shared. Candles were organized in the initials of the deceased children.

Possibly drunk driver cause of deadly collision

The deadly collision occurred around 6 p.m. Saturday near Northwest 37th Avenue and 171st Street in Miami Gardens. Eight people were in a Nissan Maxima when Antonio Wilcox Jr., 25, driving a black Kia Sorento clocked at 99 mph, smashed into them from behind, jettisoning their car into a Cadillac Escalade, Miami Gardens Police said.

“The throttle was all the way down,” said Miami Gardens Executive Officer Emmanuel Jeanty at a Tuesday press conference.

Police confirmed that Wilcox, of Naples, had alcohol in his system at the time of the crash.

Among the victims were 9-year-old A’zariah McCall and 11-year-old Ireanna Johnson, two sisters identified by their father, Ronald McCall. Kamari was their half-brother.

“Everyone loved them,” said McCall, recalling how his daughters adored singing, dancing and making TikTok videos with him.

Miami Gardens Police on Tuesday gave different names and ages for the girls, identifying them as 8-year-old Zarina McCall and 10-year-old Irena Johnson.

Their grandmother, 51-year-old Rosa Mae Jones, also lost her life in the crash. Their mother, who was driving, is fighting for her life in the hospital, police said Tuesday.

Facing four counts of vehicular homicide

Wilcox Jr. has not yet been arrested or charged. Miami Gardens Police say he was badly injured in the crash and is being treated at a hospital in Broward County.

However, police have issued a warrant for his arrest. An officer remains on standby, waiting for his release so he can be taken into custody. Wilcox faces four counts of vehicular homicide. If convicted, he could spend up to 15 years behind bars and pay a $10,000 fine.

Once discharged, he will need to be extradited from Broward County to Miami-Dade. Police have not determined why the Naples resident was in Miami Gardens that night.

McCall said he can forgive Wilcox for causing the crash that killed his daughters but is still grappling with the way his daughters died.

“You can’t be drinking and driving,” McCall said. “It took the life of innocent people. And babies at that.”

Community finding ways to cope

Le Jeune Gardens, where the family lived, was their little slice of heaven in Miami Gardens, neighbors said. After a few somber days following the accident, it began to teem with life again Tuesday.

Children walked from school to their homes, coming out moments later giggling and ready to play in the streets.

Antwone Robinson, a 25-year-old sitting just outside the family’s home, pointed to the children and said, “This is how our community is. Kids always playing.”

As Robinson greeted almost every child, he looked at the front door of the family’s home, adorned with flowers and teddy bears. He stared into the distance as he grappled with how the sisters won’t be coming home.

“They were the life of the party,” he said. “They’d always be dancing and having a great time.”

He noted that every weekend, Grandma Jones, the grandmother killed in the crash, would be sitting out front as a speaker played music, and the girls danced around with the other neighborhood kids.

Maria, who lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and next door to the family, said she adored the children.

“They’d sleep over my house; my kids would sleep over at their house,” she said. “Each one had their own personality: the crybaby, the bully, the wild child and the dancer.”

Robinson remembered how excited their mother had been over the past few weeks as she bought her car, the Nissan. Almost every day, you could find her sitting inside the car smiling as she finally achieved something she’d been longing for — no more walks, no more buses, a new freedom.

The young girls loved to make TikToks, the friends and neighbors said. A core memory was the girls going up to anyone who had a phone to perform on the social media app and show the world their dance moves.

Mother remains in critical care

The children’s mother, along with another unidentified passenger, remains in critical condition. Two other children were among the passengers — a sibling of the victims who survived and a neighbor.

Police have not identified the two children. The Cadillac’s occupants were not injured, police said.

Jeanty told reporters this in his nearly 10 years working in law enforcement, this is the worst crash he has ever seen.

“If you operate a vehicle in a reckless manner and it takes someone’s life away, you will be held and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law,” Jeanty said. “Drive safe, wear your seat belts and understand that you are not the only ones operating in the roadway.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 4:54 PM.