16-year-old boy shot, killed inside Miami apartment

Police say teen shooter ran off, taken into custody

MIAMI – A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed inside a Miami apartment Wednesday night.

Police said two teens were either playing with a gun or were just showing it when it fired, striking the victim, who died at the scene, in the 1400 block of Northwest Second Street.

The shooter originally ran off, but he was found a short time later and taken into custody, police said.

Caridad Velez identified the victim as her nephew, William Pagan.

"I still can't believe it," Velez told Local 10's Tamika Bickham. "It's killing me," Velez said. "It's hurting me."

Detectives said Pagan's girlfriend provided them with enough details to find the suspect identified as Juan Acosta.

An officer spotted Acosta, 17, at Fifth Avenue and West Flagler Street and took him into custody.

Police said Acosta confessed to accidentally shooting his friend. He was charged with one count of manslaughter with a deadly weapon.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.