Crime

Man accused of shooting, killing a father intervening in his daughter’s fight, police say

A 22-year-old man has been arrested for the shooting of a father as he was trying to break up a fight his daughter was in on Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024.
A 22-year-old man has been arrested for the shooting of a father as he was trying to break up a fight his daughter was in on Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024.

A man has been accused of shooting a father who was trying to break up a fight that started on a school bus involving his daughter, according to authorities.

Kentarian Cross, 22, of Florida City, turned himself into police Wednesday after he allegedly shot and killed 47-year-old Johnny Lewis Stevenson on Tuesday, police say. Stevenson was intervening in a brawl involving several girls from Homestead High, including his daughter, when Cross fired the deadly shot, Miami-Dade Police say.

When police arrived at the scene about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, neither Stevenson nor Cross were there. A little while later, Stevenson, who police say lived in Florida City, arrived at Baptist Homestead Hospital before being airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center. He died during surgery there, police say.

Police say cellphone camera footage captured the incident, which was spread on social media. The video shows a group of girls fighting on a school bus before it cuts to an escalated fight with a large crowd in a residential neighborhood in Florida City. Soon after, gunshots can be heard and Stevenson falls to the ground, the video shows.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools says it was aware of the video clip involving students from Homestead Senior High School fighting and that “the students involved will be disciplined according to the Code of Student Conduct,” the district said in an email to the Herald.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Stevenson died from a gunshot wound to the torso, police say.

Cross is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He faces one count of second-degree murder with a weapon.

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Milena Malaver
Miami Herald
Milena Malaver covers crime and breaking news for the Miami Herald. She was born and raised in Miami-Dade and is a graduate of Florida International University. She joined the Herald shortly after graduating.
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