Exclusive: Murdered 18-Year-Old Days From College
MIAMI GARDENS (CBS4) – The parents of an 18-year-old football player who was gunned down just days before he was planning to leave for college are speaking out and asking for the public's help in solving a senseless murder.
"Yes, I need some answers. That's it. I need some," said a grieving Tiffany Davis in an exclusive interview with CBS4's Peter D'Oench.
Her son, Paul Royal, was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon while sitting in a car outside a home on N.W. 28th Court at N.W. 201st St. in Miami Gardens, according to Miami Gardens Police.
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"He meant so much to me," said Tiffany Davis. "He meant the world to me. He was my first born."
"It's like he was snatched away from us," said Royal's father, Damion Davis. "He didn't deserve this. Words can not express our loss. I mean we are still asking ourselves why."
Royal, who was known as "P.J.," had played outside and middle linebacker for Carol City High School.
He was packing to leave on Saturday for Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, where he had a full scholarship.
"His main thing was his friends and his teammates," said his father. "He just stayed home playing games. He never ran the streets. It's just senseless, you know, for someone to just snatch his life so soon."
Love ones remember his smile, while clutching a trophy and seen in a photo from The Miami Herald. The newspaper mentioned Royal as a player who "grabbed the spotlight because of his ability to read offenses and make plays."
"Of course I feel like it's senseless," said his cousin, Zakeya Fowler. "I feel like I don't understand. He was a good kid. He never got into trouble. He didn't have a record and he was a peace maker."
"If anybody knows who did it, you know, if you have seen anything, the best thing to do now is to call. It won't being him back but it will help us cope with this and we will know that justice has been served."
It's what everyone in Royal's close-knit family wants.
"If anybody has seen anything, just please, contact the police," said Tiffany Davis. "To help us find that person. That was my baby."
Miami Gardens Police are not sure why Royal was murdered. They are looking for leads in this case. So far, they do not have a motive or a description of the gunman.
The shooting happened around the same time that a 26-year-old mother was shot and killed outside a home at N.W. 210th Terrace and N.W. 34th Place. Police said the two crimes were not related.
But there has been a rash of fatal shootings in Miami Gardens in the past month. And CBS4 has learned this crime spree has prompted a series of meetings involving city officials and top officers from the Police Department.
If you can help Miami Gardens Police with Paul Royal's case, call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
