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Reward Increased For Info Leading To Arrest In Death Of 10-Year-Old

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A South Florida church congregation is donating $1,000 to help find the killer of 10-year-old Marlon "Merv" Eason.

"The main focus is to bring these killers to justice," said Pastor Eric Readon of New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens. "Just as he started living he died. Our church decided that we'd put up a $1,000 reward with the three thousand dollar reward of crime stoppers and I'm here to challenge every church and every community leader to jump on board."

Eason was playing basketball outside his Overtown home when he was shot in the head last Tuesday.

A week later, no arrests have been made.

Eason was one of 5 kids shot in Miami in less than a week.

Sixteen Richard Hallman died of his injuries when he was shot in Allapattah hours before Eason was killed.

"These are babies that they're killing. They don't deserve their life to be taken. So senseless," Hallman's mother Tranell Harris said at a rally last week.

On Monday night, police said another teenager was shot in the area of NW 20th Avenue and 19th Terrace.

Like the other victims, he was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he's stable.

"I'm not ready to make a statement on the outcome of that case, but we're not looking for anybody. There's no one at large. This isn't a public safety issue at this point," said Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes.

But Chief Llanes said the department still needs the community's help to solve the cases of Richard Hallman and Marlon Eason.

"At this point we're not ready to say if they're not connected and we're not ready to say that they are. What we need is information," he said.

Chief Llanes says the recent string of crimes in the city is concerning.

"Over the last 3 or 4 years we've seen a huge shift to younger victims and younger offenders. The younger between younger youth is really alarming."

Anyone with information about the  shootings should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-tips. You may be eligible for a reward and can remain anonymous.

 Click here to watch Lauren Pastrana's report. 

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