NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - The reward in the case of a 3-year-old boy who was killed at his own birthday party has been increased a month after his killing, as police continue their search for the shooters who opened fire.
Miami-Dade Police said the combined reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who killed 3-year-old Elijah LaFrance on April 24 now stands at $67,500.
“April 24, I lost my baby,” Terrissa Barron, Elijah’s mother, said. “I lost something that I cannot get back. Just please, please, if y’all know something, please say something. It could be anything. Just please, please come forward.”
Elijah was killed during the celebration for what would have been his 4th birthday.
“Our life basically stopped April 24,” Barron said. “His last words was ‘Mommy,’ and I couldn’t do nothing. He died four days before his birthday, four days. I didn’t get to see my baby go to middle school, high school, prom.”
According to investigators, Elijah’s family members were cleaning up the front yard of the home they had rented for the party, in the area of North Miami Avenue and Northeast 158th Street, at the time of the shooting.
As the toddler stood in the front doorway, detectives said, multiple people showed up carrying a variety of semiautomatic weapons, including rifles.
Police said there was some sort of argument in front of the property, and more than 60 shots were fired towards the home, striking Elijah and a 21-year-old woman. Elijah later died at the hospital. The woman sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.
“In the Black community, there’s a thing called snitching. It’s been around for years,” Miami-Dade Police detective Kevin Thelwell said. “We need to stop this. This is a 3-year-old child.”
“To the shooter, we’re not going to stop,” Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said. “We’re coming for you. This is not going to stay like this.”
Elijah’s family hopes someone will come forward with information that will lead to his killer’s arrest.
“It’s not called snitching because it was only a 3-year-old,” Barron said.
“The family needs justice,” cousin Amanda Etienne said. “This is not fair. This is a baby. Please, if somebody knows something, say something.”
Police said they have received tips regarding the investigation, but they did not elaborate as to where they are in the investigation.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Police or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for the $67,500 reward.
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