Jose Velez was 16 when he was shot and killed on December 27, 2017, in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood near Northeast Miami Place and 57th Street. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots that day; Jose was found lying face up in a backyard.

Known to family and friends as Chillito, Jose was working toward his GED. His mother Wanda Gomez and cousin Marilyn Davila described the family’s devastation; Gomez said she forgives the person who committed the crime while other relatives publicly pleaded for information. The Miami Police Department is investigating but has not identified any suspects. A reward of $3,000 is being offered for information that could lead to an arrest, and authorities asked anyone who saw or heard anything to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers anonymously.

Does anyone in Little Haiti remember seeing or hearing anything around Northeast Miami Place and 57th Street on December 27, 2017?