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Miami-Dade Honors Child Of Gun Violence With 'King Carter Street'

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NW MIAMI-DADE (CBSMiami) -- A Miami-Dade neighborhood is celebrating the birthday of young gun violence victim King Carter, marching down a street that now bears his name.

King Carter
Police said King Carter, 6, was shot and killed in a drive-by in Feb. 20, 2016.

King Carter Street is the section of N.W. 104th Street between 11th and 12th Avenue. It leads up to Blanton Elementary School where the boy was a first grader, when he was shot and killed.

Carter was just 6 years old, caught in a drive-by shooting near his home in February of 2016.

"When people come down the street, I want them to think about the memory of King Carter, the legacy of King Carter," said his father Santonio Carter.

The boy would've turned eight today. Since his death, his parents have been vocal opponents of gun violence. So has Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

King Carter Street - Santonio Carter
The parents and family of King Carter, a 6-year-old victim of gun violence, walk hand-in-hand during a street-naming ceremony for the child on July 27, 2017. (Source: CBS4)

"Tweets and marches alone are symbolic but they're insufficient. Over the past decades, over 300 kids were shot and killed in our community," said Carvalho, though he pointed out that there have been less incidents of gun violence this year than last.

Carter's father vowed to speak with youth in his community to show them there's a different way of living that doesn't include violence.

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