Florida Toddler Was Killed At His Birthday Party In Drive-By Shooting
Police in South Florida are looking for suspects in the fatal shooting of a three-year-old boy, who was shot and killed while celebrating his birthday in Miami-Dade County over the weekend, the victim of a drive-by shooting CBS News reported.
Elijah LaFrance was standing in the doorway of his home when a gunman, armed with semi-automatic rifles, rode by a suburban Miami house after 8 p.m. on Saturday police said in a statement.
Police said the gunman opened fire, shooting more than 60 times, hitting LaFrance. His aunt found him wounded, and he was rushed to the hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
A 21-year-old woman was also shot, police said. She is in stable condition at Aventura Hospital and expected to recover. According to CBS Miami, it was reported that the property was an Airbnb rental booked for the birthday celebration.
This was despicable. This was careless," Detective Kevin Thelwell, who is leading the investigation, said Monday. "These were shooters, these were cowards to take the life of a three-year-old child.
"I have two sons of my own," he added. "I can't imagine what the parents are going through at this time. It's total devastation. And we are asking for the community's help. I don't care if you heard something in the street. I need somebody to call CrimeStoppers."
Police are offering a $15,000 reward for information about the shooter.
"We will not stop until we get all subjects that were involved in this tragedy into custody," Thelwell said. "We owe it to the family.
In a Twitter post, the Miami-Dade Police Department said they are using all of their available resources to solve the case.
