‘Same damn story. Different faces.’ Teen shot while riding a bike with friends
Police are looking for whoever drove by the Lincoln Fields Apartments in northwest Miami-Dade and opened fire Friday night.
A 16-year-old boy was struck while he was riding his bicycle with friends outside the apartment complex at 2021 NW 64th St. at around 10:30 p.m.
Miami-Dade police identified the teen as Nalton Johnson Jr.
Nalton was transported to Jackson Memorial Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.
The shooting sparked outrage on social media.
Susan Kennedy, founder of Bullets 4 Life, a South Florida nonprofit that aims to reduce the number of gun-related killings, posted a meme Friday that read: “Same damn story. Different faces!!!”
“The war never ends,” someone posted on an earlier thread that announced a boy had been shot in the Liberty City area.
Several hours later, Kennedy posted his photo with solemn text that read, simply: “He didn’t make it.”
Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho posted on Twitter Saturday afternoon.
“Prayers and thoughts alone won’t help,” Carvalho said. “Overnight, cowardly gun violence claims another victim in the streets of #Miami. Inexplicably, a 16-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to the head and is currently in critical condition at Ryder Trauma Center.”
Miami-Dade police haven’t confirmed the condition of the teen and won’t release any more details as the investigation continues, said Det. Lee Cowart, a police spokesman.
Witnesses told WPLG Local 10 reporters that they saw a car pull up as the boy — identified by a family friend as Nelton — was out riding. “Several shots were fired at a large group of ‘young people,’” the station reported.
Police ask that if anyone has information on the shooting they should call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-8477.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
