Miami-Dade police identify mom shot and killed while leaving a park with her six kids
A mother leaving a Miami-Dade park with her six children on board was shot and killed in her vehicle following a dispute, according to police.
Miami-Dade police said Wednesday the shooter still remains free.
Jeretha Lawson, 33 was leaving the park with her children Tuesday afternoon when she was shot. It’s unclear what they were arguing about. After the shooting, the woman’s husband are now with him. The children, ages 7 to 17, weren’t injured by the gunfire or the crash, police said.
Public records from March show that Lawson was living a few minutes away from the park in unincorporated Miami-Dade.
“No child should ever have to witness their mother being killed due to senseless gun violence,” Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III said late Tuesday night on Twitter. “We must protect our community from having their lives impacted by these violent crimes.”
Miami-Dade police say the shooting happened around 3 p.m. in the area of Oak Grove Park, 690 NE 159th St. The park is just west of North Miami Beach.
Lawson was shot in front of her children following a dispute with another driver, detectives said in a news release Tuesday night. Someone in the other car shot at the mother, who then crashed into two parked vehicles while attempting to escape.
No child should ever have to witness their mother being killed due to senseless gun violence. We must protect our community from having their lives impacted by these violent crimes. pic.twitter.com/COIZdP8G5w
— Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez III (@AFreddyRamirez) May 24, 2023
Lawson died despite first responders’ life-saving efforts, police said.
“Her six children were also inside the vehicle during the shooting but were not injured by the gunfire nor the crash,” police said. “The subject(s) fled in an unknown direction before officers arrived on scene.”
TV footage showed several police cars and at least three damaged vehicles behind yellow crime-scene tape.
Oak Grove Elementary School, which borders part of the park, was put on lockdown due to the police activity in the area, a Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesman told the Miami Herald.
To help
Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers by dialing 305-471-8477 or visiting crimestoppersmiami.com.
Video from the shooting scene
Where the shooting happened
Miami Herald staff writers David Goodhue, Charles Rabin and Grethel Aguila contributed to this report.
