Exclusive: Mother Of Woman Gunned Down Outside Nightclub Speaks Out
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- For the first time, the mother of a 27-year-old woman who was gunned down outside a Southwest Miami-Dade nightclub in January is speaking out, pleading for the public's help in solving her daughter's murder.
"She meant everything to me," said Jackie Murphy Walker in an exclusive interview with CBS4's Peter D'Oench. "I miss her every day. I miss her every minute. She was always cracking jokes. Her laugh was infectious. She could light up a whole room with her laugh."
Walker's daughter Samantha was shot around 4:25 a.m. in the parking lot of Ecstasy South Nightclub at 23101 South Dixie Highway in Goulds. She was hospitalized but died on January 18th.
Samantha Murphy was struck in the head by a stray bullet, according to Miami-Dade Police. They say the incident started inside the club with a fight between two rival gangs and the violence spilled over into the parking lot. That's where shots were fired.
There's a reward of up to $3,000 in this case.
"I see her every day in her 2 year-old daughter's eyes," said Walker. "She had a daughter who turned two on January 11th, the day after my daughter was shot. It's just very hard for us to manage every single day without her. To know that this happened and that she was left to die. I can't believe it. If I could change places with her, I would. Every day is trouble for me. Every day it tears me apart. It tears me apart every day."
CLICK HERE to watch Peter D'Oench's exclusive report
"She would always hang out with me so this is very hard," she said. "She meant the world to me. My kids mean the world to me and she meant the world to me. I cared about her as I care for everybody I love. Samantha was fabulous as a person and a daughter."
Samantha Murphy was an innocent bystander who was caught in the crossfire, according to police. Her mother said she had a job at Publix and wanted to go to a technical school so she could learn about medical billing.
"There is no reason for this senseless gun violence," said Walker. "It's all over the place. Anybody can get a gun. It's ridiculous. What's going on is innocent people are dying every day. I see it at work. I never thought I'd experience it myself."
Walker said she works at Jackson Memorial Hospital and had hoped that one day, her daughter would also get a job there.
Miami-Dade Police homicide Detective Lee Cowart said, "We need the cooperation of the community. That establishment was full late on a Friday night and early Saturday morning. Somebody saw something. There is also the secondary group of people. So it's not only the people who were there at the time of the incident but the people who they talk to who are in that secondary group."
Samantha Murphy's uncle Paul said, "It's been very hard for all of us. There are people out there who what went down and what took place. They just need to come forward."
"Please come forward," said Jackie Murphy Walker. "It's very important. Somebody saw something. You can't be in a club and see a bunch of shots and fights and not see who did something. If you have a daughter, if you have a mother, if you have a sister, please do this. Please give us a tip."
"It would give me some sense of comfort to know that the person who did this was off the street and will never do it to somebody else because he is still out there and still hoklding a gun and he can do it again. He can do it to a child and I do not want anone to ever go through this," she said.
Miami-Dade Police have no useful surveillance tape that they can release and only a vague description of the suspects. They also say they have received very few tips. Anyone with information and who can help should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
Callers will remain anonymous and there's a reward from Crime Stoppers of up to $3,000.
