Family demands justice after woman is shot to death in Miramar apartment
A grieving family is calling for answers after a 22-year-old woman was shot and killed at a Miramar apartment complex last week.
No charges have been filed in connection with her death as of April 29.
The woman has been identified by her family as Makayla Mendez, NBC 6 reported. Police have not officially released her name or that of the man who was questioned in connection with Mendez’s fatal shooting.
On Wednesday, April 29, Miramar police told the Miramar News the case is still ongoing.
“The detectives are still investigating, and no other information is forthcoming at this time,” spokeswoman Janice McIntosh said.
The unidentified man told police he fatally shot Mendez after discovering her robbing his apartment. He said the two knew each other and had been casually dating, according to Miramar police.
Mendez’s family has challenged those claims, NBC 6 reported. Her mother, Karolyn Taylor, told the station her daughter did not deserve the way her life ended.
“She didn’t have to die like that,” Taylor said. “I want justice for my baby.”
The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear. While the man believed to have shot her told police he was being robbed, Mendez’s family strongly disputes that characterization.
“They’re portraying her wrong,” Taylor said, adding that the man involved was her daughter’s boyfriend.
The incident began around 2 a.m. on Friday, April 24, when a man called 911 to report a robbery in his unit at Miramar Lakes apartments on North Preserve Way, police said. When officers arrived, they found Mendez suffering from a gunshot wound inside the apartment.
Audio from 911 calls released by police capture a frantic caller pleading for help from police and fire rescue. Miramar police said they were investigating to see if the shooting fell under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law in self-defense cases.
Mendez was transported to Memorial Hospital Miramar, but later died.
Family members say they are determined to keep pushing for answers as detectives continue their investigation.
The family has created a GoFundMe page to pay for Mendez’s burial, raising about $1,400 within the first four days.
“We’re going to go to our grave until she gets justice,” her aunt, Simone Taylor, told NBC 6. “We’re going to keep fighting for Makayla.”
