Fifteen-year-old Damarion Bailey was shot in the head and killed on Saturday, June 15, 2024, while seated in a courtyard near Northwest 13th Street and Fifth Avenue in Florida City, about a block from his grandmother’s house. Florida City Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded and pronounced him dead at the scene.

An 18-year-old friend, Jeron Smith, was with Damarion when two unidentified men on bicycles rode by. According to investigators, Smith drew a handgun, fired at the cyclists and struck Damarion. Smith was arrested and charged with second-degree murder; he waived Miranda and made a recorded confession during questioning. A search of Smith’s home recovered a 9mm firearm hidden behind an air-conditioning unit that was identified as the weapon used.

Smith’s family contends the bicyclists had earlier threatened him with a gun and returned, and they say Smith acted in self-defense and never intended to harm Damarion, whom they describe as Smith’s best friend. A judge assigned a public defender and ruled to withhold bond based on probable cause.

Did anyone in Florida City see the men on bicycles that morning or know who they might be?