Five men have been arrested nearly two years after a shooting outside a Kendall prom left three dead and five injured.
Willie Lee Thomas III, 21, Melchelzadek Jacory Matthews, 21, and Jeremy Emmanuel Devine, 22, face charges of second degree murder.
James Albert Johnson III, 20, faces charges of possessing cannabis with intent to sell while armed, and Aaron Joseph Clermont, also 20, faces a variety of other charges, including possession of a shotgun, rifle or machine gun, possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of marijuana while armed, and robbery.
“I am incredibly proud of my detectives for their hard work and dedication in capturing the individuals responsible for the senseless shooting at the Hookah Lounge during a prom.”
Police say Clermont was found with several stolen credit and debit cards when he was arrested on Thursday.
Thomas was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, while Matthews was arrested in Fort Myers. Both are awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County.
“I understand how important it is for families to receive closure and justice when their loved ones have been victimized. I want to thank our local, state and federal partners for their unwavering commitment to serving and protecting our community. I will continue to use all my resources to create a safe and healthy society where gun violence no longer poses a threat to individuals and community members,” the police said.
According to Miami-Dade police, a group of people were outside the Hookah Lounge in the Southwest 109th Court and 107th Street area around 2:20 a.m. on June 6, 2021, when they were shot at by gunmen. individuals inside multiple vehicles. and they fled the place.
Several people were shot and airlifted to a local hospital, while a getaway vehicle crashed into a wall at the nearby Miami Dade College Kendall campus, police said.
Two men were found dead inside the car, police said.
Tyleisha Taylor, an officer with the Florida Department of Corrections, was killed in the shooting. Family members identified one of the deceased men as 22-year-old William Everett Jr.
Police have not disclosed the motive for the shooting.
“I am incredibly proud of my detectives for their hard work and dedication in catching those responsible for the senseless shooting at the Hookah Lounge at a ball. I understand how important it is for families to receive closure and justice when their loved ones have been victimized,” Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramírez said in a statement. “I want to thank our local, state and federal partners for their unwavering commitment to serving and protecting our community. I will continue to use all my resources to create a safe and healthy society where gun violence is no longer a threat to people. people and members of the community.
Devine, Clermont and Johnson were arrested in Miami-Dade. Thomas was arrested in Atlanta and Matthews in Fort Myers, police say. Both are awaiting extradition.
“After nearly two years of dedicated collaboration between my team of Assistant State Attorneys and homicide detectives from the Miami-Dade Police Department, those responsible for the tragic deaths during what was supposed to be a night of party, they are finally brought to justice,” Miami-Dade State’s Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “The more than a dozen arrest warrants that my prosecutors have generated and filed have facilitated the difficult work of our law enforcement partners in gathering the necessary information and leads that led to these arrests. and the filing of criminal charges. I hope the families of the victims can now begin their healing journey and get the justice they so deserve.”