Yolanda Baxcajay-Flores was pulling into her driveway in the 2100 block of 15th Avenue East in Bradenton at 7:30 p.m. on November 12, 2024, when gunfire erupted just a few homes away. More than 30 rounds tore through the quiet residential street that evening, and the 43-year-old mother of four never made it inside her house. She died after being rushed to the hospital, caught in gunfire that was never meant for her.
A Night That Turned Deadly in Seconds
According to the Bradenton Police Department, Baxcajay-Flores was struck while in her car as she arrived home from grocery shopping. Investigators determined she was not the intended target of the shooting, a detail that has haunted her family and neighbors ever since. The department also confirmed a separate shooting unfolded earlier that evening, around 6 p.m., in the 2400 block of 8th Avenue East, where at least ten rounds damaged homes and vehicles, though police have not established whether the two incidents were connected.
Security camera footage later released by police laid out the sequence of events in granular detail. A sedan parked near the intersection of 14th Avenue East and 21st Street East at 7:28 p.m., and three people got out and ran toward 15th Avenue East while the driver stayed behind the wheel, per WWSB MySuncoast. Within seconds, more than 30 rounds were fired from multiple weapons, and the shooters sprinted back to the car and fled at 7:30 p.m.
Police Still Chasing Leads a Year Later
By November 2025, detectives said they had identified several persons of interest but had not made an arrest. WWSB reported that police released the home-security video to get more information from the community and help lead them to the killer. A separate November 2024 account from WFLA noted that tipsters were initially eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.
That reward has since grown considerably. Police say it now stands at $8,000, made up of $3,000 from Crime Stoppers and $5,000 from the Gold Star Club of Manatee County, for information leading to an arrest, according to the department. Spectrum News reported in the days after the shooting that investigators were working to determine whether the two incidents that night were linked, though that question remains unresolved in available reporting.
Family and Police Renew the Push for Tips
In a post marking the anniversary, the Bradenton Police Department
again asked the public for help identifying those responsible, urging anyone with information to come forward. Tipsters may remain anonymous and still qualify for the reward money. Those with information can contact Detective Brian Sands at 941-932-9312, or reach the department's non-emergency line at 941-932-9300.
Her daughter, Joanna Rodriguez, said it could have been anyone's mom. The case remains a painful reminder of how quickly gunfire on a residential block can claim an uninvolved bystander. Two years on, Bradenton police say detectives have identified several persons of interest, but the person or people who fired those more than 30 rounds have yet to be publicly named or charged.
