Just as the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2025, in Florida, a 10-year-old girl died. Yaneliz Munguia was with her family near NW 27th Avenue and NW 21st Street in Northwest Miami when a stray bullet hit her and ultimately killed her. The tragic accident happened at 12:04 a.m., and police believe the bullet that hit Yaneliz likely came from “celebratory gunfire.”
The Miami-Dade Police Department immediately began investigating Yaneliz’s death as a homicide. The loss rocked her family, who just wanted to have a little fun and never expected the evening to take such a horrific turn.
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Yaneliz's family was reportedly shooting off fireworks.
CBS News Miami reported that as the new year struck, Yaneliz and her family celebrated outside their apartment, shooting off fireworks. During their celebration, a stray bullet hit the innocent child in the head. Yaneliz’s grieving grandfather, Ramon Valdizol, said losing his granddaughter broke his heart.
“Every time I came over, she was always happy to see me, and now I can’t bear to enter their home and not be able to see her again,” Valdizol shared. “It hurts my soul.”
Her family tried to get help.
As soon as the girl collapsed, her family put her in a car and drove to a hospital. On the way, they called 911 to explain what happened. Hialeah Fire Rescue met the family near Palm Avenue and W 3 Street and took Yaneliz to Ryder Trauma Center. Staff declared her dead a short time later.
Police do not believe the shooter has put together what happened.
As Miami-Dade Detective Andre Martin told CBS Miami, “We speak time and time again every new year about the fact that what goes up must come down,” he explained. “This is a prime example of the dangers of shooting a firearm indiscriminately into the air. We have a 10-year-old girl who lost her life at the beginning of the year.”
Martin then added, “If you know anyone who was firing weapons into the air on New Year’s Eve, you need to come forward. If you were the person firing into the air, you need to do the right thing. Accidents happen. This may not have been done on purpose, but you need to come forward and talk to detectives.”
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Yaneliz's family agrees with police.
Valdizol said, “Shooting a gun into the sky has consequences. Who paid? A little girl. What did the girl do? Nothing. What fault did she have? But that’s the way things are.”
Johanna Sacasa created a GoFundMe account for the family. It has surpassed its original goal of $25,000, raising more than $46,000 thus far.
