Man arrested in Pembroke Pines in connection with Miami festival shooting, cops say
A man was arrested April 16 during a felony traffic stop in Pembroke Pines in connection with a deadly festival shooting in Little Haiti that left one dead and two injured, according to the City of Miami police.
Jamesly Mezime, 22, of North Miami Beach is being charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to court documents.
The shooting happened April 12 near the main stage of the Taste of Miami Karnival in Little Haiti, in the area of NE Second Avenue and NE 62nd Street.
Mezime entered a written plea of not guilty and a demand for a jury trial on April 17.
Investigators say Mezime arrived at the festival in a black Dodge Charger with a group of four other men shortly before 11 p.m., after the car was seen circling the area before parking in a nearby empty lot, according to court documents.
The group then walked into the crowd. Surveillance video shows the group moving through the festival and at one point walking directly behind the first victim near the stage, according to Mezime’s arrest affidavit.
Around 11:20 p.m., a fight broke out in the crowd. During the altercation, authorities say Mezime pulled a gun and opened fire, shooting three people.
Kitchner Cryille, 23, was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the chest that night at the Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
A second man was critically injured near the center stage with multiple gunshot wounds and taken to the trauma center. A woman, found east of the stage, was shot in the legs and taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Miami police say Mezime ran from the scene as the crowd scattered. Video shows others who arrived with him going through the victim’s pockets “while he was laying on the ground before dispersing in the crowd,” according to the arrest report.
Hours later, police say that a witness called and said the shooter was her ex-boyfriend.
The suspect then returned to the nearby car and investigators say he left the area with at least two others. Cameras captured the Charger getting onto I-95.
Five days later, the same car was spotted in Pembroke Pines, where City of Miami investigators conducted a felony traffic stop.
Mezime and two others were inside and he told officers that he was on his way to turn himself in, according to the arrest report.
According to the Pembroke Pines Police Department, Miami Police Department detectives handled the arrest.
During questioning, Mezime said he went to the festival with three others and was walking through the crowd when someone pushed him from behind.
According to the arrest report, he told investigators he was punched in the face and saw another man reach for a gun, prompting him to fire in self-defense.
Guy David Robinson, Mezime’s general counsel, told the Pembroke Pines News on April 20, “...we have no comment at this time.”
Mezime told officers he lost his phone during the shooting and paid someone to order him a ride home.
