A street in the village of Palmetto Bay has been officially renamed in the memory of a South Florida middle school student who was tragically murdered by a classmate back in 2004.
Jaime Gough's family released butterflies in the boy's memory during a bittersweet unveiling ceremony for Jaime Gough Way, a portion of SW 164th Street between SW 80th Avenue and SW 78th Avenue.
“I feel like Jaime is still alive, Jaime is still alive because to celebrate something so special, and naming a street his name, it means everything to me," said his father, Jorge Gough.
On Feb. 3, 2004, a classmate killed Jaime Gough inside a bathroom at Southwood Middle School.
"It was a grim example of how evil comes in many forms and that we as a community must take every conceivable measure to prevent this senseless violence," said Palmetto Bay mayor Eugene Flinn.
Miami-Dade police officer Andre Martin remembered his friend's life at the ceremony.
“My goal ever since that day is to take a phenomenally tragic event and turn it into something positive, so in my particular case I did that by becoming an officer with the Miami-Dade Police Department and I go to work every day trying to make a positive effect in people's lives," Martin said.
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Martin recalled Jaime Gough always looked for the good in people. His murder forced the school district to look into its students' mental health.
“I believe that tragedy, and what came out of it, made us more aware of the needs to meet every child, find out those that are still in darkness so that we can offer them something to bring them forward," said school board member Larry Feldman.
