Police in Florida were investigating Tuesday the murder of a three-year-old boy who was shot and killed at his own birthday party.
Elijah LaFrance was likely struck by a stray bullet in a Miami suburb Saturday evening, when “unknown subjects armed with various semi-automatic weapons, to include rifles, arrived on the scene and began discharging the firearms towards the residence” as the child’s family cleaned up the yard after the party, Miami-Dade police said.
The toddler was taken to the hospital, where he “succumbed to his injuries,” according to police.
Authorities were offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects in the case.
HELP US CATCH A MURDERER! Segment – 10🚨 Our Homicide Bureau detectives need your help to solve the murder of 3-year-old Elijah LaFrance that occurred on 4/24/21 in the area of N. Miami Avenue & NE 158 Street. #TogetherWeCan
🎥: https://t.co/BUK1UK4ZD2 pic.twitter.com/yvfhne9OHW
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) April 26, 2021
Elijah, who would have turned four in a few days, was celebrating his birthday with another child, his family told local media.
Videos from the party show the children playing in a pool at the house, surrounded by colorful balloons.
Officers arrived on the scene after being alerted through the ShotSpotter system, a technology that listens for gunshots and is installed throughout nearly 100 American cities.
“This was despicable. This was careless … These were cowards,” Thelwell said, adding “We do not know who these subjects are. We are asking for the community’s help … I don’t care if you heard something in the street. I need somebody to call crime stoppers.”
A 21-year-old woman was also shot in the incident. Police recovered more than 60 bullets on the scene.
“I am completely devastated, I’m disgusted,” said Miami-Dade County Police Department Chief Alfredo Ramirez III as he vowed to invest every effort possible to solve the crime.
Young children are regularly victims of gun violence in the United States, where firearms are common and elected officials struggle to come to consensus around regulations.
“This was not just a drive-by,” said Maj. Jorge Aguiar with Miami-Dade Homicide. “It was an intended attack on people or someone that was at this residence.”
According to Detective Kevin Thelwell, Elijah was standing in the doorway of the home while his parents and other family members were cleaning the front yard.
Members of the community who are fed up with gun violence were out Monday night, calling for solutions to a complicated problem; changing the culture around so-called snitching.
“Don’t tell me no white man is killing is. It’s us killing us,” said Susan Kennedy, found of Bullets 4 Life. “We have to make a stand. We are responsible.”
Local leaders also spoke about the systemic issues that lead to the violence.
“What makes a 14, 15 or 16-year-old shooter think they don’t have a life worth living is that we as a community have failed them, and we need to stop doing that,” said South Dade NAACP President Dwight Bullard.
