FL - Elijah LaFrance, 3; fatally shot at birthday party; Miami-Dade; 24 Apr 2021

[imstilla.grandma]

Miami-Dade Police officers were alerted to the shooting Saturday night by a system that detects and tracks gunshots. When they arrived at the home, officers found the toddler suffering from a gunshot wound and took him to a hospital where he died, according to a news release from the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The shooter fled the home, and police are asking for the public’s help in the investigation.
Our detectives are working around the clock, using all available resources, to solve the murder of 3-year-old Elijah LaFrance. We are out in the community handing out flyers, asking for any possible leads. If you have any information, please contact @crimestopper305 305-471-8477. pic.twitter.com/9eoIyYe0HL

— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) April 25, 2021
#Homicide #ElijahLaFrance #PutTheGunDown You know something? Give the details without speaking to an operator… Go online to our web-tip button at Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade and The Florida Keys or call **8477 on your cell phone and get the option to speak to an operator or fill in a texted tip form. pic.twitter.com/b8xXMetUJK

— Crime Stoppers Miami & FL Keys (@CrimeStopper305) April 26, 2021
The child’s birthday party was being held in a home being used for short-term rentals.
3-year-old killed at birthday party

 

[tlcya]

was just reading about this one. Horrible. RIP baby

 

[imstilla.grandma]

For the third time in nine months a young child in the northern end of Miami-Dade County was killed by gunfire that police believe was intended for another target.

This time a bullet took the life of Elijah LaFrance, a gregarious 3-year-old who enjoyed getting dressed up and posing for pictures with his younger sister. He was killed at a party celebrating his birthday Saturday night at a rented home in the county’s north end.

In January, Chassidy Saunders, 6, a child who was referred to by family and friends as the “Tik Tok Princess” for her joyous dancing videos, was one of three people hit by gunfire on a Saturday night outside a Model City home. Chassidy died. The two other victims survived.

And last July, during a gathering with friends outside a North Miami-Dade home, 7-year-old Alana Washington was fatally shot in the head during a drive-by shooting. A 1-year-old was also injured by the gunfire that witnesses say came from a car parked at the curb in front of the home. Doctors removed the tubes that were keeping Alana alive after two days.

The shooting death of Elijah, part of a countywide trend that has seen a rise in gun violence for the first time in decades, had family and local leaders reacting with anger and disgust, as they often do when a child is lost to gunfire. They also promised to use all available resources to capture the shooter.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article250947829.html