NW Miami-Dade march marks 1-year anniversary of King Carter’s death

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Children donned crowns and joined with community leaders to march in memory of King Carter on the one year anniversary of his death.

The 6-year-old was fatally shot near his home when he became caught in the crossfire of teens shooting at each other. Marches and rallies followed in the days after King’s death, as community leaders and parents called for an end to gun violence.

On Monday, King’s father, Santonio Carter, joined other community members, family and King’s classmates to remember his son and plead for less violence.

“It’s felt like forever,” Carter said. “Every second seems like an hour.”

Santonio took his son to the gas station on Northwest 54th Street every day before football practice, he said, to get candy and other snacks. He and King then took those snacks to the other players, before they all went over to Charles Hadley Park to play football.

The group marched to the park, Monday night, where they released balloons into the sky.

“It’s a great feeling that the community, the whole village come out and support and uplift and give us love,” Santonio said.

“It’s an unbearable day, a very unbearable day, to remember something so tragic,” said Monica Smith, King’s mother.

King Pierce remembered his friend and teammate fondly.

“King was a very good boy,” Pierce said. “He always ran for his dreams, and he always played with me.”

Santonio has spent much of the time since his son died speaking out against gun violence.

In 2017, shootings such as the one at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the holiday founded to celebrate the civil rights leader for which the park is named, have left many thinking that nothing has changed.

“It’s senseless,” Santonio said of recent shootings in Miami. “It’s a crying shame. I cry.”

He said that, even though arrests have been made in connection with the shooting of his son, it won’t make his grief any less grueling.

“My son can’t come back, so it ain’t no closure,” he said.

The shooting death of 8-year-old, which happened this past August, remains unsolved, and her mother, Dominique Brown, has spoken out similarly against gun violence. Brown said King’s family reached out to her when Jada died, and as she marched on Monday night, she remembered what King’s mother told her.

“She had a dream that Jada and King were in heaven dancing and watching tribute videos,” Brown said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, God, I hope that that’s true, because she loved to dance, and in all his videos he was dancing.”

King’s mother has been one of the strongest supporters and motivators for Brown. She said, “What she told me one day gave me an ounce of strength. She’s like, ‘We didn’t lose our babies. We gotta put our foot on the gas and not let up.’ And I keep saying, ‘OK, that’s what I’m gonna do.'”

The search for the shooters in Jada’s case remains ongoing.

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 $1,000 reward.

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