Heartbroken Families Seek Answers In Double Homicide; Reward Increase Up To $15K
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The family of a South Florida man who was ambushed in a shooting in Northwest Miami-Dade earlier this year is hoping the public can help detectives crack the case.
Darren Kleckley, 54, and Pernell Hart, 45, were both killed after someone approached them along NW 18 Avenue and 66 Street in Miami-Dade and began shooting.
According to Miami-Dade police, there was also a third man who was attacked on January 8, 2021; however, he survived the shooting.
The lead detective on the case, Jorge Rodriguez, told CBS4 News that the three victims were standing near a convenience store when someone approached them on foot and began shooting.
According to detectives, the victims did not know each other.
"The individual suspect walks up, three victims are on the corner talking randomly and shots are fired, and the victims are running away from being shot and the shots continue to be fired and the subject flees," said Det. Rodriguez.
Kleckley's twin brother Darren says the night his brother was randomly ambushed; he hadn't learned what happened yet, but he could sense something was wrong.
"When that happened, I didn't know what was happening to me. I'm at work and a pain in my neck hits me and it makes me cry and I don't know why I'm crying. I feel a passionate cry and they had to help me at work," recalled Darren Kleckley.
Kleckley's wife says she and her husband would promise each other that they would grow old together. She says her husband spent most of his time working, and during the pandemic he worked tirelessly on a mobile COVID testing bus across the country.
"He was a medical technologist at the University of Miami, and he loved his job," said Hewsine Kleckley, the victim's wife.
Detectives say they have surveillance video of the attack, and the surviving victim has provided as much information as he could remember from the night they were ambushed.
Det. Rodriguez told CBS4 News that the victim's information has led to several leads, but it's not enough to crack the case.
There is currently a $15,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.
