Police Arrest Man Accused Of Shooting Girlfriend During Fight
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Police have arrested a man accused of shooting an 18-year-old girl during an argument in southwest Miami-Dade County on Tuesday.
Miami-Dade Police said 19-year-old Darius Chaney shot 18-year-old Jennavi Small in the head. Police said Small was his former girlfriend and they had broken up in November after dating for several weeks. According to a police report, Small was shot multiple times and has a broken orbital bone and could lose her right eye.
Her fellow students at Homestead Senior High School are stunned by the shooting.
Dontregia Richardson told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that "she's really nice and she doesn't bother anybody. She is a dancer and loves to dance. This was really shocking when I found out. She likes to keep to herself. It's really scary. It shows that you have to watch your surroundings because anything can happen."
Another student, who did not want to give her name, said, "It was sad and shocking. There are no words to say how I feel about this situation."
Chaney is now facing charges of attempted felony murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm.
The shooting turned a quiet neighborhood into a crime scene.
"I heard one shot then I heard five more shots and a girl screaming. When I went outside, she was behind my car bleeding from her eye," said neighbor Olivia De Castro.
Small and two other teenage boys were walking toward a bus stop near SW 243rd Terrace and 129th Place when a verbal dispute ensued after Chaney showed up and then and then he opened fire, police said. They said Small had started running way, at first, when she heard loud popping noises and then stopped after thinking it was firecrackers. Then she reportedly yelled out "Darius No" before she was shot.
One woman, who did not want to be identified, said her son was walking with Small at the time of the shooting.
"He called me to say that a guy was shooting well not at him but at the girl. As he heard the shots, he looked back and he saw the girl laying on the ground," said the woman.
Rodric Brummage, a resident in the neighborhood, heard the shots and ran out.
"I see her laying on the ground. I asked if she was okay. She said 'no' that she needed help. I ran over. She was on the ground and had already called 911 on her phone," said Brummage.
Police said Chaney took off running meanwhile Brummage stayed with Small until rescue crews arrived.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said Small was taken to Jackson South Trauma Center. At last check, she was listed in critical but stable condition. She does attend Homestead Senior High School.
A neighbor told CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez that Small asked her to call her mother after the shooting. Her mother was able to make it to the scene before rescue crews took her away.
"She was definitely wounded on her face, bad trauma but she was very strong and very polite and very respectful the whole time," said Brummage.
Earlier, police were questioning someone in the case trying to determine if that person was involved in the shooting.
Anyone with information is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
