Police officers hunt gunman who shot three teens. One, struck in head, is not expected to survive
A 15-year-old Miami boy shot in the back of the head while walking with friends on a Brownsville street is not expected to survive, police said Tuesday.
Miami-Dade detectives are asking for the public’s help to find the gunman who wounded 15-year-old Wrollan Foulkes and two friends on the 2200 block of Northwest 51st Street on Monday evening. The others boys, ages 14 and 15, were also shot, each in the stomach, and remain in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Police have not released a description of the shooter, who opened fire at close range.
His mother, Michelle Burch, 41, said the boys had been out at a park and a local store. She implored the community to come forward with information on the shooter.
“Put the guns down, it’s not worth it,” Burch said on Tuesday night.
The teens live in the neighborhood that has suffered a series of shootings the past few months. Police have attributed the violence mostly to fights over drug sales, although a motive for Monday’s attack was unknown. Police officers were alerted to the shooting by ShotSpotter, an electronic GPS device that alerts police to gunfire.
Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez said the department is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the shootings.
“Last night’s shooting of 3 teens cannot and should not be tolerated by our community. We need your tips to arrest those responsible for this vicious assault,” Ramirez wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
Foulkes was raised mostly in Liberty City, one of the four siblings on his mother’s side. He was a ninthgrader at Booker T. Washington High, said his mother, and was enrolled in online classes because of the pandemic.
“He had big dreams,” Burch said. “He wanted to be a NBA star. He wanted to own a house. He was crazy about dogs. He said he wanted to own a farm when he was older.”
In the last couple of years, Foulkes’ had been arrested at least seven times, mostly for break-ins or thefts, some alongside the two other victims, state records show. The outcomes of all the cases are not clear because juvenile court records are not public.
His mother said her son had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd, but he had an upcoming court date she believed would resolve the cases. None of the arrests were for violent crimes.
“He was getting over that stuff,” Burch said.
Anyone with information on the shooting can call the Miami-Dade homicide bureau at 305-471-2400, or Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-TIPS.