Mother confronts suspect after son hurt in Miami-Dade drive-by

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A Miami-Dade mother says she is devastated after her 16-year-old son was critically wounded in a drive-by shooting last week while walking home from a nearby store in the county’s Gladeview area.

Detectives accuse 26-year-old Eliga McGowan of opening fire from a passing vehicle in the Gladeview area last week, striking the teenager in the chest.

The shooting happened shortly after 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 19 along Northwest 17th Street, near 76th Terrace, according to an arrest report.

“You are a monster,” the teenager’s mother said when speaking about a McGowan during a court appearance this week.

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said the victim had been walking home with two friends when shots were fired from a vehicle passing by. The boy was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition.

The victim’s mother said her son and his friends had no connection to the suspect.

“My son does not know this man. This man is way older than my child he is an A1A student. He does not get in trouble. He doesn’t even come outside,” she said.

Investigators said a woman riding in the car with McGowan told detectives the pair had been searching for a man who had sexually assaulted her.

After spotting three people walking, they said McGowan fired from the driver’s seat toward the teens.

“While driving, (McGowan) slowed his vehicle down, pulled out a firearm, told her to sit back, and fired from the driver’s seat out,” a witness told deputies, the report stated.

The woman told investigators the shooting was not directed at the victim, but authorities said surveillance video and witness statements placed McGowan at the scene.

Detectives also obtained video showing McGowan’s Chevrolet minutes before the shooting near Northwest 77th Street and 17th Avenue.

“As a mother I was hurt, I was heartbroken because I know my child does not mess with anybody he is a good child,” the victim’s mother said.

McGowan denied firing a weapon but admitted he was in the area, according to deputies. He was later arrested and booked into the Metrowest Detention Center early Jan. 23.

A judge denied McGowan bond on three counts of attempted first-degree murder during a bond court hearing this week.

Jail records show McGowan is also facing dozens of unrelated charges, including unlawful possession of identification documents and multiple counts of possession of stolen credit or debit cards.

As her son continues to recover and is expected to be OK, the mother said she wants McGowan to be held accountable.

“You could’ve put it in the police hands and let the police handle it themselves,” she said. “You hit a child and hurt their family.”

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.