On November 18, 2024, at about 8:53 p.m. in Homestead, Florida, 23-year-old Brendan Roger Francois was shot and killed and a 16-year-old girl was grazed by a bullet. Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert near 653 SW 8th Street and found Francois with gunshot wounds; Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene. The teenager suffered a graze wound to her left wrist.

Investigators say Francois and the teen had visited his mother’s home and then left to go to a nearby store. Harris fled but was identified from witness statements and surveillance footage and was arrested on November 20, 2024. He was charged with second-degree murder with a weapon and criminal mischief and is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center; bond was to be determined.

Francois’s mother, Yvelouse Chery, said her family has been devastated, noting her husband had also been killed by gun violence in the same area in 2019 and calling for justice and action to address ongoing gun violence in the community.

If anyone has information about the shooting or knew Brendan, please share what you know.