More than two years after a 6-year-old girl was shot and killed while leaving a friend's birthday party in Miami, a man who was a suspect in a separate mass shooting months later has been arrested in connection with her murder, police said.
Warneric Anthony Buckner, 22, was charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Jan. 16, 2021 killing of Chassidy Saunders, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales announced Thursday.
"Never thought we would get this news this fast," said the girl's father, Charles Saunders. "I thought it was a cold case — but the City of Miami Police Department kept their word and made sure we got justice for Chassidy."
"We've been trying," he said. "Sleepless nights, not eating ... it's just been hard. Now we finally got some relief."
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Saunders and two adults were shot when gunfire erupted as they left the birthday party at a home near the intersection of Northwest 6th Place and 55th Street.
The two adults survived but Saunders died from her injuries.
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The girl's killing shocked the community and led to an ourpouring of support for her grieving parents.
"It's hard, especially when we have our youngest son who doesn't know anything, he misses his sister, his other half," Charles Saunders said shortly after the shooting. "Every day he has to wake up, just look at his sister's pictures, watches the videos, smile, laugh. He doesn't see her anymore, it hurts."
Saunders’ family and loved ones gathered together Thursday for a balloon release to remember the vibrant and loving 6-year-old.
"Once she's in your presence, she makes your day, her smile, her pretty eyes, always wants to dance and have fun,” Saunders said.
Chassidy's loved ones still have many questions.
"Why? What was your purpose?" Saunders asked.
"She was six at the time, she didn't get to enjoy life, but one thing about it this family will tell you, she put a smile on your face, every day,” her uncle Maurice Alexis said. "The process is not over with, but we're here together.”
In a statement Thursday, Morales said the bullets that claimed Saunders' life were intended for someone else.
"From the moment the shots which tragically ended Chassidy’s life were fired, the Miami Police Department has worked tirelessly to identify those responsible for her death and bring them to justice," the statement read. "The Miami Police Department is fully committed to the prevention of gun violence and to holding those who carry out these crimes, especially those who victimize our community’s children, accountable for their actions."
Morales said Buckner remains in federal custody on unrelated charges. A federal grand jury in March 2022 indicted him on seven counts related to identity theft, records showed.
Just months after Saunders' killing, three people were killed and 20 injured in a mass shooting on May 30, 2021, outside The El Mula Banquet Hall in Miami-Dade.
Buckner was arrested in October of that year on three counts of first-degree murder and 20 counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the El Mula shooting.
As NBC6 reported last year, two of the bullet casings at the El Mula scene traced back to guns used in a murder of a man in Opa-locka and the killing of Saunders.
In addition, police said Buckner had given a statement to detectives implicating himself and other gunmen in the El Mula shooting.
But in a shocking twist just two months after his arrest, the charges against Buckner in the El Mula shooting were dropped.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said when prosecutors reviewed the interrogation video of Buckner, they realized he'd asked for a lawyer multiple times.
