Police in Florida are looking for the person who fired a celebratory gunshot into the air at midnight on New Year’s Day, killing a 10-year-old girl from Miami.
According to Miami-Dade police, Yanelis Munguia and her family were out celebrating near NW 27 Avenue and NW 21 Street when she collapsed shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day.
Family members rushed to her aid and discovered she had a gunshot wound in the back of her head. They put her in the back of a car and began searching for a hospital while dialing 911.
Hialeah Fire Rescue met with the victim’s family near Palm Avenue and West Third Street and rushed her to Jackson Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the tragic loss of a 10-year-old girl, who was killed due to celebratory gunfire on New Years Day near NW 27 Avenue and NW 21 Street in Miami,” police said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “This heartbreaking incident serves as a sobering reminder that whatever goes up must come down. Bullets fired into the air can kill innocent people.
It is with deep sorrow that we share the tragic loss of a 10-year-old girl, who was killed due to celebratory gunfire on New Years Day near NW 27 Avenue and NW 21 Street in Miami.
This heartbreaking incident serves as a devastating reminder that what goes up must come down.… pic.twitter.com/iW6WNOCnIA
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) January 1, 2025
Yanelis had just turned 10 on December 26. The family shared a video with local media showing her playing with sparklers with her 6-year-old brother.
“I don’t want what happened to my granddaughter to happen to anyone else,” the victim’s grandfather, Ramon Valdizon, told WSVN, the local ABC affiliate.
Police are still investigating the shooter’s identity and location. Police expressed frustration that anyone would fire a gun into the air knowing it could result in tragedy.
“We always say at New Year’s that what goes up must come down, and this is a prime example of the dangers of shooting indiscriminately into the air,” Miami-Dade police Det.
Andre Martin told NBC affiliate WTVJ. “We have a 10-year-old girl who lost her life at the beginning of the year, we have two parents, a mother and a father, who are now planning a funeral for their daughter to start their year off.”
Valdizon stated in an interview with WSVN that his daughter, Yanelis’ mother, “blames herself for what happened.” The family’s home will never be the same.
“I cannot stand to go in that house and not see her again,” he told me.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Miami at 305-471-8477. Yanelis’ family is raising funds for her funeral.
Tragically, it was not the only death caused by celebratory gunfire in the Sunshine State. Kissimmee police responded to a report of a gunshot victim shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
First responders rushed her to the hospital, where she died. The victim was identified by police as Carmen Rosa Neira Ochoa, 56.
Her family told Orlando’s Fox affiliate WOFL that she was a mother and grandmother.
“She did not do anything to anyone. Her son-in-law, Alex Marquez, told the television station that she was a hardworking mother. “I just want to raise awareness that people who are celebrating should not shoot guns. They have no idea which family they can hurt.”
