Miami Police are still investigating a shooting that left one dead, six wounded, and sent hundreds of people stampeding to safety early yesterday morning at Nocturnal nightclub in downtown.
New Times reported yesterday that 26-year-old Brandon Marquis McGhee was shot and killed inside the popular afterhours club, but that no arrest had been made. During an emotional press conference at City of Miami Police Headquarters today, the victim's family urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to please come forward.
"He'd been on the straight and narrow for quite some time now," the victim's mother, Dewonderyn Woods, said of her deceased son. Several media outlets, including New Times, have reported on McGhee's troubled path.
Conference with Brandon Marquis McGhee's Family from Miami New Times on Vimeo.
Records indicate the young man had been arrested several times, having been charged with grand theft, burglary, and a number of other crimes. However, wiping tears from her eyes, Dewonderyn Woods defended her son's character, admitting he'd become addicted to playing video games in an effort to stay out of trouble.
"My understanding was that he was going to a strip club," she said. "I've never heard of this Nocturnal club."
Sgt. Confessor Gonzalez of the Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed that investigators have a suspect, but did not release a name.
"We have several leads we are following," he said, adding that they're treating the case as a homicide. "We believe Brandon was a target, or in the company of someone that was the target."
Gonzalez was also clear that there was "no indication [McGhee] was in a gang."
Late Sunday, police released the names of the five men wounded during the shooting: Ronaldo Cerve, Maxon Clarke, Ricat Pierre, Marc Isidor, and Emilio Lopez. Those men, and one other unnamed individual, have all been treated for their injuries.
"All are stable, some are out," Gonzalez says.
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