Joanna Telusme, 24, was killed in a drive-by shooting in northwest Miami-Dade on April 14, 2019. She and her sister, Stephanie Telusme, had been visiting friends when they were caught in crossfire about 1 a.m. in the 6100 block of Northwest 20th Avenue; both sisters, who were from Broward County, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people, Robert Allen and Jennifer Charles, were wounded and survived with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say an officer on patrol heard gunfire and observed a car speeding away; the occupants abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers found two AK-47s and a semiautomatic pistol inside the car. Drakar Lamar Smith, 20, was arrested after being found hiding under a tarp in a nearby backyard; gunshot residue was reported on his hands. He was charged with multiple counts including second-degree felony murder, second-degree murder, and attempted first-degree murder.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez commented on the case and on random gun violence in the county. The collaboration between the State Attorney’s Northside Gun Initiative and the Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Unit was noted in securing the arrest.

Did anyone in the area know the Telusme sisters or witness the shooting that night?