Crime & Justice

Miami security guard charged with shooting at unarmed men

A Miami security guard accused of shooting at two men, and killing one of them, has been charged with murder after the family of one of the victim’s called out the police department for the long delay of the investigation.

Published

12 years ago

June 11, 2012

Unheard Voices Staff

Miami, FL – A Miami security guard accused of shooting at two men, and killing one of them, has been charged with murder after the family of one of the victim’s called out the police department for the long delay of the investigation.

Before a press conference was held, a warrant was issued for Lukace Shane Kendle, 26, who is accused of shooting the two men outside a strip club.

Authorities say Kendle said he shot the victims in an act of self defense, stating he felt threatened. As a result, Kijuan Byrd died and Michael Smathers still remains in the hospital fighting for his life.

Kendle has been charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.

According to police, the Miami security guard parked into Club Lexx’s parking lot, 15 minutes before his shift was to begin.

Police said he parked his Chevrolet Avalanche and grabbed his security gear, which included a semiautomatic gun, a nightstick, a badge and a flashlight, when he noticed Michael Smathers, 31, and Kijuan Byrd, 29, both of Miami Gardens, inside a Ford F-150 in the adjacent parking space, rolling marijuana cigarettes.

According to police, Kendle first decided to join his co-workers across the parking lot before he stopped and turned back to get something from inside his truck.

Kendle told police that as he approached his truck, he saw the Ford’s doors swing open and then heard someone shout, “I’m going to kill that n—–.”

According to the warrant, Kendle said that as Smathers was trying to get out of the Ford, he “might have been pulling something upwards.’’

And, though Kendle did not see a weapon, he “feared for his life,” according to the warrant.

Kendle then pulled his gun out and shot Smathers about four times.

Police said he then turned his attention to Byrd.

Kendle told police that he shot in Byrd’s direction once — because he felt threatened — before walking toward Byrd on the Ford’s passenger side.

By then Byrd had crawled under the Ford, police said.

In the warrant, Kendle said he could not see Byrd’s hand, but fired anyway because he was still “in fear for his life.”

Byrd and Smathers were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where Byrd later died. An autopsy later revealed that Byrd was shot 11 times. Smathers was still hospitalized Friday in critical condition.

The case gain public attention immediately when the investigation started and Kendle remained free. Many are calling the case similar to Trayvon Martin, because Kendle is claiming self-defense under Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law.

The families attorney Benjamin Crump, who also counsels the family of Trayvon Martin, said that the law doesn’t hold up. “It sends the message that you can shoot people and not be held accountable,” Crump said. “We have to seriously revise this.”

In the Martin case, George Zimmerman, the man accused of killing the unarmed teen, used the Stand Your Ground defense.

Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Detective Aida Fina-Milian said police took their time because they wanted to be thorough.

“It’s important to conduct a thorough investigation,” she said.

At the Byrd press conference at Range Funeral Home, Byrd’s parents, his sister and brother, a grandfather, two aunts and an uncle stood by as a picture of Byrd in his red football uniform, marked with the number 19, was shown.

Byrd worked as an electrician and left behind two children — a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

“My baby is dead and it’s senseless,” his mom, Arlene Byrd, said.

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Crime & Justice

Arrests made for fatal shooting at Delaware State University

Camay Mitchell De Silva was shot and killed on April 21 while visiting her best friend at Delaware State University.

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

Camay Mitchell De Silva (Photo Source: GoFundMe)

Authorities have announced arrests have been made for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Camay Mitchell De Silva last month at Delaware State University.

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Arrests made in Delaware State shooting of Camay Mitchell De Silva

De Silva was shot and killed by a stray bullet on April 21 while visiting her best friend who attended Delaware State University.

Police announced in a press release that 20-year-old Destry Jones and 18-year-old Damien Hinson, both from Dover, are being charged with the murder of Camay Mitchell De Silva.

The pair are also charged with the attempted murder of two other young men in connection with the April 21 shooting.

Jones was arrested in Brooklyn, New York and Hinson was arrested later that day in Dover, police said.

According to authorities, neither of the suspects in this case are enrolled at or affiliated with Delaware State University.

Police claimed Jones and Hinson were involved in a fight with two other men before shots were fired. Investigators do not believe De Silva was the intended target or involved in the altercation.

Beloved taken too soon

De Silva was a 2023 graduate of Concord High School who graduated with a 3.0. She spent her first semester of college at Morgan State University in Baltimore but decided she wanted to come home to Delaware.

She then attended Delaware Technical Community College and planned to attend DSU in the fall to pursue a degree in Computer Science, with the goal of working in cybersecurity.

Crime & Justice

Paramedic involved in Elijah McClain’s death sentenced to probation, work release and community service

Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with a fatal dose of ketamine, has been sentenced to probation and community service.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 28, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

Elijah McClain's family to receive $15 million from the city of Aurora

Elijah McClain and Jeremy Cooper (CBS News)

Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with a fatal dose of ketamine, has been sentenced to probation and community service.

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Paramedic Jeremy Cooper sentenced

He had faced up to three years in prison but was sentenced to four years probation, 14 months of work release and 100 hours of community service.

Cooper and another paramedic, Peter Cichuniec, were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in December in the death of McClain, 23, who was subdued by police and injected with ketamine on August 24, 2019.

Both paramedics had pleaded not guilty to the felony charges. Cichuniec was sentenced in March to five years in prison, the minimum.

Police stop turns fatal

McClain was walking home in August 2019 when the 23-year-old Black man was confronted by police officers who forcibly restrained him. When Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec arrived, they injected him with ketamine.

He went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance a few minutes later and died three days after that.

The McClain family sued the city of Aurora for Elijah’s wrongful death and received a $15 million settlement.

Crime & Justice

Honor student killed by stray bullet while visiting Delaware State University

A shooting at Delaware State University has claimed the life of 18-year-old honor student Camay Mitchell De Silva.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 26, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

Camay Mitchell De Silva

Camay Mitchell De Silva, of Wilmington, Delaware, was shot and killed Sunday, on the Delaware State University campus.

The 18-year-old was visiting her best friend, a Delaware State student, when the tragic shooting occurred.

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She was an honor student

She then attended Delaware Technical Community College and planned to attend DSU in the fall to pursue a degree in Computer Science, with the goal of working in cybersecurity.

De Silva often hung out on campus with her best friend to get comfortable before attending DSU.

Delaware State shooting

The family said De Silva was visiting that friend at DSU on Saturday, April 20, and attended a party on campus that night. Around 1:40 a.m. on April 21, DSU Police received a report of shots fired on campus. The responding officers found De Silva in a residence hall suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper body. The officers administered aid and then took her to a nearby hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Police say De Silva was not the intended target. Dover Police Department Chief Thomas Johnson Jr. told NBC10 there was a dispute that she was not involved in and she was hit by a stray bullet.

The suspects were seen fleeing the area and no arrests have been made, said authorities.

Dover Police released a statement from De Silva’s family requesting time to grieve and to plan for her celebration of life.