7-year-old boy 'callously' killed in apparent gang shooting, gunmen at large
Police in Florida are searching for the gunmen who killed a 7-year-old boy in an apparent-related gang shooting. They are offering a $18,000 reward for information leading to the gunmen's arrests.
Breon Allen was leaving a residence in Jacksonville, Florida, with 21-year-old Lafayette Mango Jr. around 5 p.m. on Jan. 24 when multiple people approached in a dark-colored car and started shooting at them, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
Breon died at the hospital, the sheriff's office said. He was 7 years old.
Mango was hospitalized in serious condition, authorities said.
Mango is a known gang associate, and authorities believe the shooting was gang-related, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities did not disclose the relationship between Breon and Mango.
The shooters' car has since been recovered, but authorities are still trying to identify the gunmen, the sheriff's office said.
"I never, never thought I'd be burying one of my babies," Breon's mother, Casheena Love, told First Coast News in Jacksonville.
"Please let us know what happened to our baby. He was 7 years old. He did not deserve this," Love said.
"My heart goes out to the family of the victim," Sheriff T.K. Waters said in a statement. "Anyone that callously opens fire on a 7-year-old cannot be allowed to walk the streets of our city."
The sheriff's office is urging anyone with information to come forward by calling 1-866-845-TIPS or going to FCCrimeStoppers.com.
"You could be eligible for an up to $18,000 reward," the sheriff's office said in a statement Saturday. "Even the smallest piece of information could make the biggest difference in bringing justice to this family."
ABC News' Cherise Rudy contributed to this report.
