Tragedy struck a Miami apartment yesterday afternoon when an 11-year-old girl was fatally shot, leading to the arrests of three individuals. Titato Clarke, 40, the father of the victim, his "romantic partner" Nancy Severe, 43, and the child's paternal grandmother, Charlene Webster, 59, were taken into custody on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child after police discovered a .40 caliber casing and a Glock handgun in the bedroom where the incident took place, as reported by both Local 10 and WSVN. The girl was found with a gunshot wound to her chest and was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital by Clarke, where she was pronounced dead despite surgical efforts.
The incident was reported around noon at an apartment located at 200 NW 17th St., with all three adults present who shared responsibility for supervising the children. According to police, the victim was in a bedroom with her 9-year-old brother when the shooting occurred, though precise details of how it unfolded are not immediately clear. Clarke, who authorities have revealed has a prior record of 12 felony convictions, offered inconsistent explanations of how the events transpired, raising suspicions that led to further investigation and subsequent arrests.
During the police response, as noted by Local 10, detectives executed a search warrant at the home and found a .40 caliber silver casing on the bedroom floor near a dog cage, alongside the discovered handgun wrapped in fabric. In their official arrest reports, authorities have pointed out the adults' inconsistent statements regarding the shooting, underscoring the lack of clarity around the circumstances leading up to the tragic event.
As of the latest updates, the three arrested individuals were still in jail awaiting the setting of their bond amounts. Clarke's relationship with the victim as her father adds a layer of complexity to the case, as investigators work to unravel the series of events that led to the young girl's untimely death. Further investigation is expected to continue as police and prosecutors prepare to bring the case before the courts.
