Who killed Damion Solan? Grieving widow asks for help to find shopping center gunman
Damion Solan’s three children, all 10 and younger, just spent their first Christmas without their dad, and their mother, Colett Solan, is grieving.
A little over two months ago, Damion Solan was shot and killed early in the morning at the Inverness Center shopping plaza in Lauderhill, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
According to police, a security guard heard gunfire and found Solan, 32, wounded on the ground outside a check cashing store at 5562 W. Oakland Park Blvd. on Oct. 13. His white van, which had bullet holes, according to police, was in the parking lot.
Broward Crime Stoppers is offering up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
“There are no additional leads,” Lauderhill police spokesman, Lt. Michael Santiago, said Thursday. “Investigators are waiting for lab results to return on evidence collected the night of the crime to determine if they provide additional leads. No witnesses have come forward.”
Detectives canvassed the plaza and surrounding areas for several days, Santiago said.
A widow’s plea
“Our family is hurting deeply,” Colett Solan said. “We miss him and wish he was here, especially during the holidays. Christmas time was our family holiday. To not have justice on top of the pain of losing him is almost too much to bear.”
She reached out to the Miami Herald after the holiday in hopes someone might come forward. Her husband, she said, was at the Tip Top Pub, known for its Jamaican food and Jamaican-themed events, that night.
The couple met in Jamaica, where Solan was born in Lionel Town, Clarendon, on Jan. 12, 1988. They moved to South Florida in June 2010 with a 6-month-old son, William Damion Solan. Soon, the family would grow with the addition of son Cole Walter and daughter Catherine Ruby Solan at the Lauderhill home they bought in 2016.
An electrician, Damion Solan ran his own business, Solan Electric, his wife said, and loved reggae music, soccer, track and other sports. He became a U.S. citizen in November 2019.
“Please, we’re asking you, if you saw something, say something. Please come forward. Your responses will be anonymous,” his widow said.
“Damion is survived by his three young children who have to now grow up without him,” she said. “They need justice for their dad.”
Solan’s survivors
In addition to his wife and children, Solan’s survivors include his parents, sisters and brothers.
Solan’s wife set up a a GoFundMe page to help with the children. The fund has raised $7,000 toward a $25,000 goal.
In addition to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477, investigators ask that anyone with information can call the Lauderhill Police Department at 954-493-8477.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
