Little girl on life support, father injured in shooting outside NW Miami-Dade home

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police continue their search for the people behind a shooting outside a Northwest Miami-Dade home that left an 8-year-old girl on life support and sent her father to the hospital, Sunday.

The mother of 8-year-old Jada said doctors declared her daughter brain dead and she may soon be taken off life support. Jada remains on a ventilator. “Jada is my baby. She’s gonna be 9,” said Vanessa Page, Jada’s grandmother. “My grandbaby got shot in the head, so she’s not doing well. They said they’re gonna pull the plug tomorrow, and my son got shot in the neck.”

Police said the girl, who was standing by the front door of her grandmother’s house, was struck in the head by a stray bullet.

Jada’s grandmother told 7News her granddaughter called her in the hospital just a few days ago. “She called me at the hospital and said, ‘Grandma, it’s too late to come see you now,'” said Page, through tears, “‘but grandma, I’ll be there tomorrow.'”

The little girl’s mother showed 7News a picture of her holding Jada’s hand at the Ryder Trauma Center.

Miami-Dade Police responded to the scene of the shooting in the area of Northwest 25th Avenue and 102nd Street, just before 5 p.m. Sunday. The shooter or shooters opened fire on Jada’s father, James Page.

“The day before, he was at the gas station, and they looked like they were trying to rob him, and evidently, they followed him and came back the next day,” Page said.

According to investigators, someone inside a black four-door sedan pulled up in front of the home. “A black vehicle, a Ford Focus or Fusion or similar style vehicle, four-door, occupied by at least two males, pulled up next to the 32-year-old male victim, opened the door and proceeded to shoot that victim numerous times,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez.

Jada’s father sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the back. He continues to fight for his life.

Dwight Wells, a friend of the victim, is organizing a prayer walk while Page fights to survive. “It don’t hit close to home, it hit home when you got a friend that you grew up with all your life and his child,” Wells said. “I grew up with James.”

Family friends said the business James runs, Rocket Seafood Market and Grill on Northwest 95th Street remained closed Monday.

Pastor Eric Readon, the pastor at New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church recalled the events when he arrived to the scene. “I saw them grab a child and put them in an ambulance, two ambulances, and left the scene,” he said.

Father and daughter were both taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

Speaking with reporters, Sunday evening, Perez lamented that yet another young bystander became the victim of gun violence. “It pains me to be here once again speaking about a small child, an innocent child that has nothing to do with any criminal activity, has nothing to do with ongoing disputes, and took a bullet,” he said.

Police went around local neighborhoods, Monday afternoon, asking for any leads from residents.

Outside the hospital, loved ones consoled each other and formed a prayer circle.

Community members gathered outside Page’s home Monday night to call for an end to gun violence and justice for Jada and her family. “Prayer does work; it works everyday,” said one man leading the prayer.

“To those cowards that are out there, to those cowards, and to the parents that are hiding those cowards, your day will come,” said community activist Tangela Sears.

This incident was just one in a series of shootings in the area in less than a week.

Eleven days ago, a 19-year-old was shot 13 times in Browsville. Over the weekend, at his wake, police said someone fired bullets from a car, targeting the mourners. Two people were killed, including a teenage boy.

On Thursday night, a 19-year-old girl was killed and her cousin was hurt after a drive-by in Liberty City.

Investigators have not said if the shootings are connected.

A motive for Sunday’s shooting remains unknown at this time. “It’s sad that you can’t even walk the streets with your children, and these things are going on,” said Readon. “That’s why I want to make a plea to the community. If you see something, say something. Somebody needs to step up. This has got to stop.”

If anyone understands this kind of grief, it’s King Carter’s dad. “Frustration, anger, emotional scars back open,” Santonio Carter said.

Six-year-old King was killed by crossfire, earlier in 2016. Carter showed up at the Ryder Trauma Center to show his support. “Ain’t no coping with it. Ain’t no getting around it. Ain’t no getting better in time,” he said. “It’s been six months and a couple days since our son was gone, and it gets worse everyday.”

Jada’s family is now praying for a miracle while police look for the gunman. “One thing I know about the streets, they do not play about these little kids,” Carter said, “so the best thing is to turn yourself in.”

Officials said the reward for information leading to an arrest has been increased to $24,000. “We need to catch them,” said Perez. “We need to bring justice to the family, justice to the child, justice to this community.”

Readon recently donated $1,000 from his Miami Gardens Church to the Crimestoppers reward. “Then, when you say innocent kid, that’s just outside playing, regardless of whatever else is going on. It’s painful. It’s hurtful. I see my own child, I see my own family, I see my own congregation,” he said. “I wish I had more to give because this has to come to an end.”

Family supporter Regina Talabert said she’s mourning a loss too. “Last night was when I lost my daughter, Noricia Talabert, the same way,” she said. “She was shot in the head with an AK-47. You come through with a gun, you come destroy a whole family. I don’t understand it.”

According to police, as of Tuesday afternoon, Jada is still in critical condition while her father is now stable. “Just come forward,” Page said. “We don’t bother nobody. We are a hard working family.”

If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $23,000 reward.

Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.