Exclusive: Mother Of Woman Gunned Down Says "I Need Suspects"
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MIAMI GARDENS(CBSMiami)--The mother of a woman who was gunned down on Tuesday during a home invasion is speaking out for the first time, saying "I need suspects."
Wanda Jones's 37-year-old daughter Atavia Jones was shot multiple times and killed when the two masked gunmen opened fire around 8 a.m. at the home she shared with her boyfriend at 2433 N.W. 90th St. in Northwest Miami-Dade.
This was especially traumatic for Wanda Jones since it was just two years ago that another daughter lost her life after being stabbed to death.
Wanda Jones and her brother and sister came forward Friday and met exclusively with CBS4's Peter D'Oench because they wanted to plead with people to come forward if they know anything about Atavia's murder.
"I'm not going to rest," said Wanda Jones. "I am not going to rest until the people are captured. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I need closure. I need suspects."
Click here to watch Peter D'Oench's report.
She said her daughter had just returned to her home after taking her 9-year-old and 15-year-old daughters to school when the gunmen burst in. She said they fired shots and took nothing.
"I feel like a piece of my heart is missing," she said. "I can't even feel my heart because she was just like my right arm. She did everything for everybody. She kept the family together."
Wanda Jones said Atavia was a medical assistant and a cosmetologist who dreamed of starting her own transportation company.
"She wanted to help a lot of people including the elderly," she said. "She was a loving caring person. She cared about the elderly, cared about youth. She also cared about her family. She loved her family to the utmost."
"I immediately thought when this happened not again, not again," said Wanda Jones.
It was two years ago in early December of 2012 that police say Wanda's 38-year-old daughter Shuneeque Jones was inexplicably stabbed 55 times and killed by 25-year-old next-door neighbor Emile Senghor.
"It breaks my heart," she said. "For the 2nd time, my child who was just taking kids to school one day returns home and somebody invaded her home."
That home now has a makeshift memorial outside it with stuffed animals, a bible and a candle.
"The whole family is drained," said Lisa Harris, the victim's aunt. "She kept us together. She was our rock. She was there for everyone. And you know life is not going to be the same without her. We have to pull together as a community and as a human race because innocent people are being killed. We need to take care of our family."
Harris said, "She went out there and worked hard day after day and did what she had to do and somebody just tried to rob her and they didn't take anything."
"We need people to tell us something," said Jerome Jones, the victim's uncle.
It's not know if the surveillance camera outside Atavia Jones's home captured useful images.
"Something is not right about the situation," said Jerome Jones. "Somebody needs to come forward. I'm saying 'E' or somebody, one of you guys, whatever, somebody needs to talk to me and let me know what's going on."
Atavia Jones family says they were hoping to get some answers from Atavia Jones's boyfriend but they say he left the crime scene without speaking with him. They say they only know his first name, which is Eddie.
Wanda Jones said. "We must stop the silence for the violence to stop. Crime is not going to stop until somebody comes forward and tells what they have seen and I know somebody saw something."
Miami-Dade Police have not released a description of the gunmen.
Wanda Jones is offering a reward of her own in addition to the standard reward of up to $3,000 being offered by Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers.
The number to call is (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
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