Imagine escaping death after being shot seven times, only to lose your life four years later to gun violence. Miami-Dade resident Jamal Pieze unfortunately met this fate on Sunday, Nov. 18.
At only 16 years old, Pieze was shot seven times by two gunman wearing hoodies while walking to a store in Allapattah. Pieze was chased down by the assailants and left for dead.
Miami police confirmed that several rounds of gunfire were issued during the incident. “We know that probably 30 to 40 rounds were fired so he’s very very lucky to be alive today,” said Rene Pimentel of the Miami Police Department.
Amazingly, the Miami Jackson High School football player survived the attack. It was a miraculous story that reached the Miami Heat basketball players, causing some of them to come see the 10th grader in the hospital.
“A huge athlete we just hope that he recoups so that he can get back to a normal life,” said Pieze’s aunt Alicia Jackson at the time of the 2015 shooting. “It’s the holidays its Christmas and you know family is the most important thing to us so that’s our biggest prayer right now.”
The 2015 attack left Pieze with several injuries, including several abrasions, a skull fracture and leg fracture. The attackers were never caught.
Pieze went on to heal from his injuries and get back to normal life. But, just as the irony of life goes, four years after the 2015 attack, Pieze would attend a house gathering on Sunday night only to be shot again. This time he would not survive.
Around 11 p.m., a group of men who were not at the gathering targeted people at the event with rapid gunfire, according to police. A total of three people were shot, including a 13-year-old boy and 21-year-old man.
The 13-year-old was shot in the head and is still in the hospital after receiving surgery. The 21-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, which was treated. He has since been released from the hospital. The only person that did not survive was 20-year-old Jamal Pieze.
Jamal Pieze was pronounced dead at the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. His mother, who couldn’t believe that this happened to her son again, was too distraught to release a statement to media.
This young man didn’t have to lose his life to gun violence. Pieze was a victim of his environment and the violent culture promoted in the neighborhoods he frequented. How high risk of an environment does one live in if the possibility of being shot before the age of 25 is equal to that of someone living in a war zone?
According to Giffords Law Center, 36,383 Americans are killed by gun violence every year. Over 100,000 Americans per year are injured from gun violence. About 1.4% of shootings are attributed to law enforcement, while a whopping 61% of shootings are the result of suicide. Homicides consisted of 35% of total shootings each year.
The criminals that took Pieze’s life are still free and considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information should call the Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at (305) 471-8477.
