Nearly two years after a father was gunned down during a carjacking in an apartment building parking lot in Lauderhill, his family is speaking out to remember him and push for better security at housing complexes.
It was Aug. 18, 2022, when Dimithry Remarais was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Windward Vista Apartments on Northwest 19th Street.
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WATCH HEREAccording to attorneys for the family, Remarais had mailed stuffed animals to his two daughters in Kentucky earlier in the day. The animals arrived after his murder.
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Since the tragedy, authorities have arrested the three men who they say are responsible for the killing.
The family also sued the management firm at the apartment complex in a negligent security wrongful death case and reached a $21 million settlement.
On Wednesday, Remarais' sister, Isabella Lubin, spoke for the first time about her brother.
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"Dimithry Remarais was a caring son, a protective brother," Lubin said as she choked back tears. "A loving father to two beautiful girls, a comedic uncle and a loyal friend."
The family's attorney, Michael Haggard, with the Haggard Law Firm, said they want to send a message to lawmakers and policy makers locally, statewide and nationally that security at apartment complexes needs to be taken more seriously.
"When the family discussed about doing a press conference they said if we can just reach one property manager, if just one property owner sees this news coverage and adds security and learns a lesson from it, it’s all worth it," Haggard said. "The number one site of violent crime in the state of Florida is apartment complexes, it’s overtaken banks, it’s overtaken convenience stores, it’s number one."
Haggard said the Lauderhill complex had no security guards on duty and the surveillance cameras weren't working, making it easy for the suspects to carjack and kill Remarais.
Lubin said safety measures like those could help curb crime and gun violence.
"So we’re hoping that with our case and also the public, the publicity of our brother’s case, that it will somewhat push the owners to rethink and revamp what they consider in terms of security because you’re putting peoples’ lives at stake," she said.
