Family of woman killed in North Miami Beach shooting seeks answers

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Family members are mourning the death of a young woman who they believe was an innocent bystander in a shooting.

They say 20-year-old Junisha Niclasse was not the intended target. She was an aspiring nurse who had her real estate license and graduated at the top of her class.

“She was innocent in all of this,” said Merlyne Pierre, the victim’s aunt, who lives in Houston. “She was loved by everyone.”

It happened around 7:30 p.m. on May 17 near the intersection of Northeast 163rd Street and 22nd Avenue.

Detectives discovered at least 31 bullet casings in the area.

Surveillance video showed a man limping into a nearby Marathon gas station from a black car off West Dixie Highway moments after the shooting.

Police said that man and Niclasse had been shot in the neck. A few minutes later, first responders rushed to their aid.

The victim’s family has been torn apart by the loss.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Pierre, while saying of her sister, Niclasse’s mother, “She’s not doing well.”

North Miami Beach police officers have been investigating the shooting and searching for answers.