Miami-Dade authorities arrested a Cuban man who is accused of fatally hitting an 18-year-old Colombian and fleeing the scene.
The incident occurred on July 15th at around 1:15 in the morning. The victim, named Kevin Daniel Chaparro, was riding his bicycle on the 3200 block and 127th Avenue Southwest, in the unincorporated area of Tamiami, when a Jeep Wrangler, apparently speeding, hit him from behind and left him lying at the scene.
The teenager had arrived in the country three months earlier with a soccer scholarship granted by Millennia Atlantic University.
On the night of his death, he was returning home from a shopping center in Miami, where he went to watch the final match of the Copa América between Colombia and Argentina.
The police said that after an investigation, Yoandrys Alfredo García-García, a 40-year-old Cuban resident of the western county, was identified as the perpetrator of the crime.
García-García, who has been in the United States for seven years, went to the Miami-Dade Police Department headquarters on Wednesday with his lawyer and "provided a full confession," according to Local 10.
He was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death and attempted evidence tampering.
He was transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TDK) and a bond of $20,000 was set for him. If he pays it and is released on bail, he will be required to adhere to a nightly curfew and will not be allowed to drive.
On the other hand, Chaparro's parents, who were his only family, opened an account on the GoFundMe platform to raise money to travel to Florida to collect their son's body and take it to Colombia.
"Kevin Daniel was raised in Colombia but was born in Miami, Florida. Since he was little, his dream was to return to his birthplace to study and put down roots in what he called 'his home.' At 18 years old, Kevin embarked on the biggest adventure of his life. He worked hard to achieve excellent grades in high school, became a great soccer player, and won multiple tournaments," says the application.
"His efforts earned him a scholarship to begin his studies in Miami next September. He started his journey on March 29, 2024, working full-time, paying rent, and saving money to support himself while living in Miami. After just three months, he was thriving," the text adds.
On the night of his death, he was in constant contact with his parents. When the game ended, he called his father in Colombia and told him he was going home, located in Kendall, and would call him when he arrived. But the family never received that call.
His father Oscar asked a friend to go to where Kevin lived to see what had happened. Shortly after arriving, the Police showed up with the news of his death.
The distressed father requested the community's help to identify the culprit.
"They do not hand over the body to us because the driver has fled and it is considered a homicide, and they are holding the body until the investigation progresses," he explained.
"My son was amazing, a son of God, a fan of Millonarios, of Real Madrid, he wanted to play there and for the United States national team," he added.
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