Jose Velez-Gomez was 16 when he was fatally shot on December 27, 2017, in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood near Northeast Miami Place and 57th Street. Known to friends and family as Chillito, he was working toward a GED and remembered by relatives as loving and happy.

Neighbors reported hearing gunshots that night; one neighbor, Eduardo Gutierrez, later said he hesitated to look outside and then saw Jose lying face up in a backyard with shell casings nearby. Jose’s mother, Wanda Gomez, spoke at a memorial, described her grief and called for justice while expressing forgiveness toward the person responsible.

Anyone who knew Jose, witnessed activity around Northeast Miami Place and 57th Street that night, or has information about the shooting is asked to contact the Miami Police Department.