Family of 14-year-old who was shot and killed in Tampa begging for justice

TAMPA, Fla. - It’s been nearly a week since a 14-year-old was found dead near railroad tracks in Tampa, and police are still looking for who’s responsible for his death.

Jevario Buie, 14, was found shot and killed on Wednesday afternoon.

Tampa police responded to reports of gunfire near the 1400 block of W. Busch Blvd. Police say they found Jevario dead from his injuries near the railroad tracks between Busch Blvd. And Rome Ave.

"The area that Jevario was found was near the railroad tracks, which is behind a neighborhood off Busch and Rome," Verliz Williams, a TPD spokesperson said.

Tampa police are asking the public for information and tips to help identify who’s responsible for his death.

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"We were getting ready to plan for his graduation party, from the eighth grade," Jevario’s grandfather, Michael Baldwin Sr. said. "Now we got to plan a funeral."

Baldwin said his grandson was everything you’d expect in a 14-year-old.

"This kid enjoyed playing football, playing video games," he said. "He grew up around a bunch of girls. He has three sisters, and a loving mom, and a loving auntie, with a couple of cousins. His grandma loves him to death."

Baldwin said Jevario was excited for high school and to learn how to drive.

"Immediately, when you hear a 14-year-old boy was found dead, you start wondering, ‘Well, what did he do? Was he in a gang? Or, these little boys, they’re just killing each other?’" Baldwin said.

He said his grandson didn’t deserve this, and he deserves justice.

"He was not a gang member," Baldwin said. "He didn't use no drugs. He didn't sell drugs. He didn't engage in none of that type of activity."

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Jevario’s family said someone needs to speak up. Baldwin said he won’t leave any stone unturned until they figure out who’s responsible for Jevario’s death and get justice.

"Jevario was your kid," Baldwin said. "And we have to do something. We have to do something."

Baldwin said that Jevario’s death puts an issue on display that’s much bigger than his own family.

"How we're dealing with our young boys that are growing up in these hoods and they're being cultivated," he said. "To be little hood cats. It's a trick. It's a trick, to continue to build prisons, and we're using ourselves to destroy each other. And those of us that are not being murdered on the street like Jevario, the rest of them are being sent to prisons."

Baldwin points to deep-rooted issues in society and in the criminal justice system that are creating cyclical violence, especially among young boys and men.

"We have to do something when it comes to dealing with our youth and our young boys," he said. "Our young black and brown boys are being lost. Those who are not being eaten up by the system are being eaten up by each other."

With decades of his own life spent in the criminal justice system and behind bars, Baldwin now runs youth programs and works with people who were formerly incarcerated.

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"I know what it's like to be an offender, and I know what it's like to be a victim," he said. "And I don't wish this on anybody's family. But it has happened to my family. And God must want us to do something, for it to happen in my family, because I’m not the type that’s going to sit still and be silent."

As Baldwin fights for justice for Jevario, he said justice doesn’t look like just putting someone behind bars.

"We have to pull them away before they hurt anybody else and trigger any more pain. It ain't about just punishing them," Balwin said. "It's about building them, and then empowering them, so that they can become vessels to be used to prevent others from doing what they just did."

Baldwin said prayers need to become actions. He wants to be part of the change, and help whoever is responsible for his grandson’s death, in order to keep this from happening to any more families.

"And I want to walk with them through the justice system," Baldwin said. "I've already forgiven him. I don't even know who they are. And I've already forgiven them. Because I know that as a society, we have created them."

Because of the area that Jevario was found, police are asking anyone with any piece of information that might help solve this case to come forward.

Police say no piece of information is too small.

If you know anything or have any information, you’re asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130. You can also contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay anonymously.

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