Family of slain Liberty City activist Dwight Wells asks for help finding shooter
Family members of prominent community activist Dwight C. Wells — who was gunned down in October — pleaded with the public Thursday to come forward with information about his killing, saying it would “mean more than a million dollars” to have answers.
“People don’t know how I hurt because I want to know who is the murderer,” Wells’ mother, Mary Brown, said during a Thursday news conference at the Miami Police Department.
There is still limited information about who fatally shot Wells, according to police.
Brown said she would be “so blessed and happy,” and it would be a “great Christmas present” for Wells’ killer to be brought to justice. Several other loved ones, some wearing shirts with photos of Wells, surrounded her along with photographs of him. His sister, Trawonna Barron, choked up and wiped away tears.
Wells, was gunned down Oct. 9 while outside his restaurant Winning And Won Turkey Legs, 5090 NW 17th Ave. in Liberty City. Police said Wells, 40, was playing dominoes with two other men when a man walked up and shot him.
READ MORE: ‘He was Liberty City.’ Activist shot and killed while playing dominoes in Miami, cops say
Officers responded to the restaurant, where they found Wells with gunshot wounds, at around 9:20 p.m. Authorities released a brief surveillance clip Thursday of a man wearing a hooded jacket and a face covering who is believed to be the shooter running from the area.
Homicide Detective Roberto Gonzalez described the man as having a thin to medium build, but there were no additional descriptions given about his appearance.
It seems Wells, who was with his girlfriend and a friend at the time, was targeted, Gonzalez said. There is no clear, established motive for the shooting.
Some members of the public have offered information, and police are following all leads, Gonzalez said.
“If anybody saw something, please say something,” Gonzalez said.
Wells’ family said Thursday he was a pillar to the community — and they can’t imagine why anyone would want to harm him. He was loved by everyone, and his loss has been “a hard one,” Barron said.
Miami Fire Rescue took Wells to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he later died. Wells, a 2004 graduate of Miami Northwestern Senior High School, began his activist work after serving a 10-year prison sentence. As part of his efforts to ensure kids in his community had the support to find better paths in life, Wells co-organized “Wheels up Guns Down” with the aim of stopping gun violence.
READ MORE: Liberty City activist Dwight Wells, known for his nurturing spirit, dies at 40
Wells hoped to legitimize the annual motorbike rides, which often meet criticism and harsh pushback from law enforcement. Wells was also known for organizing clean-up efforts at cemeteries in historically Black neighborhoods, including Lincoln Memorial Park in Brownsville. The cemetery is the final resting place of many prominent Black activists and community leaders, such as Dana A. Dorsey, Miami’s first Black millionaire.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Miami Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 305-603-6350. You can also contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-4877, online at www.crimestoppersmiami.com or send a text message to 274637, enter “CSMD” and the tip.
“He loved mom,” Brown said. “Mom loved him. He was the son a mother needed. Oh my God, I loved that young man.”
Miami Herald reporters Grethel Aguila, Raisa Habersham and Milena Malaver contributed to this report
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM.