Damarion Bailey, a 15-year-old student at Homestead Middle School, was fatally shot in the head on Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Florida City, Florida. The incident occurred near Northwest 13th Street and Fifth Avenue, just a block away from his grandmother’s house.
According to the Florida City Police Department and Miami-Dade detectives, Damarion was seated in a courtyard at 434 NW 13th St. with Jeron Smith, an 18-year-old who was his friend, around 10:31 a.m.
when the shooting took place. Smith spotted two unidentified men riding bicycles westbound on 13th Street and, feeling threatened, drew a handgun and opened fire. Although the men on bicycles abandoned their bikes and fled, Damarion was struck in the head by a bullet during the shooting. Despite immediate response from Florida City Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Damarion was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jeron Smith was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. During his interrogation at the Miami-Dade Police Department's Homicide Bureau, Smith voluntarily waived his Miranda rights and confessed to the crime in a video-recorded statement. A search warrant executed at Smith's residence led to the discovery of a 9mm firearm hidden behind an air-conditioning unit, which was identified as the weapon used in the shooting.
Smith's family has presented a different account of the events, suggesting that the men on bicycles had previously threatened Smith with a gun and returned to carry out their threat, leading to the confrontation. Smith's mother, Angela Cade, and his uncle, Demorian Pernell, have maintained that Smith was acting in self-defense and never intended to harm Damarion, who was described as his best friend.
In a court hearing, the judge assigned a public defender for Smith and ruled to withhold bond based on probable cause. Smith's mother expressed her heartache for both her son and Damarion, emphasizing the close friendship between the two and her belief that her son was not a monster but someone who was deeply affected by the incident.
