One Arrest, 2nd Person Sought In Deadly Nail Salon Robbery
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - For the family of the late Aaron Vu, 10, this Thanksgiving holiday will be spent preparing for a funeral rather than celebrating.
"We're not thinking about turkey right now," said Thi Pam, the great aunt of Aaron Vu.
Aaron was killed in a nail salon and Pam said Vu's father, Hai Nam Vu, saw the video of the shooting for the first time on Tuesday night.
"He was motionless," Pam said of Hai Nam. "He was numb and frozen. He just stared blankly at the television and didn't say a word."
The search for the second person involved in the deadly armed robbery continued Wednesday as police urged the unknown suspect to surrender.
Miami-Dade Police Director J. D. Patterson urged the second person to surrender.
"I know that the second person knows who the second person is, and that second person ought to stand up and actually turn themselves in and accept responsibility for this tragic event because any time a child loses his life in the community we all cry and feel bad about it," said Patterson.
Director Patterson said the department received more than 100 tips on the shooting from Crime Stoppers and investigators were in the process of checking out each one.
On Tuesday, police announced the arrest of 19-year old Anthawn Ragan Jr. in connection to the robbery. He faces several charges including first degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm for the Nov. 22nd hold-up and shooting that left 10-year-old Aaron Vu dead.
After collecting $300 in cash and valuables, the robbers ran out of the nail salon, but not before Ragan fired two shots, according to his arrest report.
When news of the arrest got to the Vu family, they celebrated.
"The family was jumping up and down hugging each other and pounding their fists," Pam said. "We asked, 'Aaron did you hear that? Did you hear the news?'"
Ragan's girlfriend spoke to CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez, but didn't giver her name.
"I don't like that. I don't like that. I don't want to talk. I don't want to talk," the girlfriend said. "I'm going to cry...He didn't tell me anything. I believe he didn't do anything, believe he didn't do anything like that."
Hai Nam Vu, 42, was shot in the shoulder, his son Aaron was hit in the thigh. Vu and his son were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where the boy later died.
Police said the information that led to Ragan's arrest came from an anonymous source.
Ragan was arrested at a sister's home along NW 53 St. in Miami. According the arrest form, Ragan tried to hide under the covers in a back bedroom.
When he was taken into custody, police said he was violent, prompting an additional charge of battery on a law enforcement officer. Patterson said Ragan was also charged in an armed robbery that occurred Nov. 9th in northern Miami-Dade.
Ragan was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in a white jumpsuit on his 19th birthday after a day of questioning by police.
Wednesday morning a judge a denied bond during his initial hearing.
A source told CBS4s Jim Defede, Ragan has been arrested before for armed robbery, but the state dropped the charges. The source said officers from another jurisdiction also interviewed Ragan about another robbery.
Details of the funeral arrangements for Aaron Vu will be posted on www.fredhunter.com. A visitation will be held at NW Baptist Church on NW 136th Street in Miami on December 1. A funeral mass will be held on Monday at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church.
Police are asking the public to come forward with any information which could lead them to the second subject.
If you have any details that could help police, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
