MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 12-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted and shot over the weekend in South Florida continues to recover in a hospital as police search for the man suspected in the sickening crime.
The boy’s life was likely saved by a good Samaritan.
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A man who only goes by Johnny says he found the young boy wandering alone and crying early Saturday morning, blocks away from the Foodland Market on Northwest 37th Avenue and 47th Street in Miami-Dade County.
“He was conscious, he fell on the sidewalk and said he had been shot. That was all I know,” Johnny said. “He was screaming, ‘Help someone, help me, please.’ So I [brought] him to the store where they could call the police.”
According to investigators, the child was walking around the Brownsville neighborhood of Northwest Miami-Dade County at about 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. Saturday when he was abducted by a man who forced him into a black four-door sedan.
In new details revealed Monday, the boy sneaked out of his house that night to go over to a friend’s place, even using pillows atop his bed to trick his parents. The brutal attack happened during his walk back home.
UPDATE: 12-year old boy who was abducted, raped & shot- snuck out of his home over the weekend to go over a friend’s house... even using pillows atop his bed to trick his parents. The brutal attack happened during his walk back home in the overnight hours. @WPLGLocal10
— Terrell Forney (@TerrellWPLG) March 29, 2021
At some point, the victim says he was sexually assaulted — right before the stranger pulled out a gun and shot him. The boy was eventually forced out of the car, authorities say.
Police describe the suspect as a tall, white Hispanic man with long curly hair, between 30 and 40 years old. He was driving a black sedan and was last seen in the area of Northwest 45th Street and 31st Avenue — the area where authorities said the boy was sexually assaulted and shot.
Surveillance video from Foodland Market shows witnesses coming to the boy’s aid and offering him water.
Within minutes, police and paramedics arrived, with one officer helping the child onto a gurney before taking him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
The crime has left neighbors in shock.
“When they told me it was a little boy, that’s awful,” said Celine Mejia. “That’s sick. So whoever did it needs to turn themself in because that’s not right. He’s a child.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-8477.