Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho Visits Shooting Victim Master Johnson Jr.'s School

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stopped by Miami Jackson Senior High School Tuesday to show his support for the youngsters there after a 16-year-old student was shot in the head Friday night.

Master Johnson Jr., who is known as Nalton, remains connected to a life support machine at Jackson Memorial Hospital after being declared brain dead.

Carvalho told students, "I felt it appropriate to come back to Miami Jackson and offer prayers to one of the students. It is difficult to make sense of something that makes no sense at all."

Carvalho also urged students to come forward if they knew anything.

"The level of courage needs to emerge to tell the truth about what is happening," he said.

Carvalho started his career at the school as a math teacher in 1990 and it is also where Johnson's mother works and where crisis counselors were sent on Tuesday.

Miami-Dade police are looking for leads after Johnson was shot at the Lincoln Fields Apartments at N.W. 64th St. and 20TH Ave., just two blocks from his apartment.

Homicide detectives have returned to the scene and have passed out flyers asking for the public's help.

Carvalho told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "Here is a tragedy that impacts so many communities. This is a 16-year-old boy who was a student at Miami Northwestern Senior High school last year and so the Northwestern community is devastated. He's a student at Miami Jackson so they are in mourning. His mother is a colleague of the employees here as she works at Miami Jackson Senior High school. So, the teaching staff is devastated."

"He was a player on the Junior Varsity basketball team and part of the Junior ROTC program," said Carvalho.

"This was a life full of promise that was robbed. It is not right the carnage that continues to affect our communities. It needs to stop. The courage to say what is known in our community needs to emerge. I encourage people who know more than what they are saying to speak out. They will remain anonymous."

"Let's honor his life and honor his colleagues by saying what happened to him on that dreadful Friday night," said Carvalho.

He said the J.V. basketball team was going to dedicate the game it was playing at home at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening to Johnson.

Miami-Dade Police say anyone with information that help should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477). There is a reward of up to $3,000.