A tragic turn of events unfolded in Florida City this past Tuesday when Johnny Lewis Stevenson Jr., a 47-year-old father, was shot and killed while trying to intervene in a fight between his daughter and other girls. NBC Miami reports that the incident took place around 5:30 p.m. near Northwest 14th Street and 1st Court. Kentarian Lamont Cross, 22, has been charged with second-degree murder with a weapon after allegedly firing the fatal shot.
According to the police, a confrontation that began on a school bus spilled into the streets leading to the involvement of Stevenson who endeavored to deescalate the situation, surrendering to police on Wednesday was Cross who, charged in connection with the death, is currently held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, as WSVN detailed. Witnesses and a cellphone video that captured the grim sequence of events alongside a photo showing Cross with a gun prior to the shooting supported authorities in identifying him as the shooter.
After the incident, Stevenson was initially taken to Baptist Homestead Hospital and then airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center where he died during surgery, with the backdrop of a poignant family narrative marking Stevenson as a loving father of 14 children, also known affectionately as Bobo, as Local 10 learned from the family off camera.
Following the tragic episode, Miami-Dade Public Schools issued a statement highlighting their awareness of the altercation involving students from Homestead Senior High School and their commitment to student safety and the promotion of restraint and respect saying, "Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is aware of a video clip involving students from Homestead Senior High School engaging in an altercation on a school bus. The school’s administration is reviewing the matter, and the students involved will be disciplined according to the Code of Student Conduct," Cross, who invoked his Miranda rights upon arrest did not make any statements to detectives and his court appearance is expected to be today reports indicate, as reported by Local 10.
