Family members are speaking out and seeking justice as the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman at a North Miami Beach gas station last week remains unsolved.
Junisha Niclasse was killed in the Friday night shooting at a gas station on Northeast 159th Street near Northeast 18th Avenue.
Another person was also shot but survived.
Surveillance video obtained exclusively by NBC6 shows one of the victims sitting in front of a nearby McDonald's, as police and paramedics rush over to help.
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Video from the scene showed a black Mercedes with bullet holes and shattered glass in a roped off area.
NBC6 spoke with Niclasse's aunt, who said her family is devastated by the loss.
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"She was our heart. She was compassionate. Pure and energy, helpful," aunt Merlyne Pierre said. "Whatever you needed, she was there to be that person."
Pierre said the past few days without her niece has been painful for the entire family.
"We’ve all been in tears, devastated," she said. "Why Junisha? Why this moment? We’re all pretty heart broken."
Pierre said she learned of the killing the next day.
"I woke up Saturday morning to eight missed calls from my mother," she said. "We have lost Junisha. Junisha’s gone. I immediately began crying."
Police are still searching for the shooter while the family wants to know why the young woman's life was cut short.
"She wasn’t affiliated with anything that would even put her remotely in proximity to gun violence. It’s heartbreaking to lose her in such a violent way and even more so with no answers," Pierre said.
Niclasse was described by her aunt as ambitious, with a long list of dreams and goals. She said she was studying nursing and worked as a realtor with her mother.
But family members said one of her biggest passions was dance. Niclasse spent much of her time as part of a local dance team.
"She was a beautiful dancer. She owned her body and articulated the words in music so beautifully," Pierre said.
The aunt had a message for anyone who may know what happened to her niece.
"I’m pleading for us to come together as a community to really resolve this for our family because this needs to stop," she said.
She also had a message for the shooter.
"I pray you’re convicted to turn yourself in," she said.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information should reach out to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
