Isaiah Solomon

Isaiah “Zay” Solomon was a charismatic and determined 15-year-old Black teenager from Miramar, Florida, with a big heart and ambitious dreams. His mother, Sirena Harrell, who had him when she was 17, considered him her best friend. Isaiah was a quiet but funny young man who loved to play football and dreamed of one day joining the NFL. His mother encouraged a backup plan, and he chose a career as an FBI agent. Remembered by loved ones as comedic, strong, athletic, and caring, Isaiah had just completed his first week of 10th grade. He was by all accounts a wonderful and well-mannered young man who was deeply loved by his family.

On the night of Saturday, August 27, 2016, Isaiah was in the West Little River neighborhood of Northwest Miami-Dade to mourn a loss. He was attending a vigil for his 19-year-old cousin, Devonair "Deb" Blake, who had been shot and killed a week earlier. The gathering of family and friends was taking place outside a home on the 1900 block of Northwest 83rd Terrace, near Northwest 19th Avenue. Suddenly, the somber event turned into a scene of chaos and terror when a car drove by and someone inside opened fire on the mourners. In the hail of bullets, Isaiah was struck. He was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

When the shooting stopped, Isaiah and another man, 22-year-old Tafari "Fari" West, lay fatally wounded. Four other people were injured as they ran for their lives, including 20-year-old Verneisha Gillum, the daughter of a local pastor, and three other men. Isaiah was found on a nearby sidewalk. His mother received the worst call of her life after having missed over 20 calls while she was in bed. She rushed to the scene, a place she had been just a week prior for her nephew's death, where she had remarked to someone that she never wanted to know the pain of losing a son.

The Miami-Dade Police Department launched a homicide investigation, but the case quickly grew cold. The shooting was a drive-by, and those responsible have never been publicly identified. In the days following the murders, friends and family gathered for a prayer service at the New Beginning Church in Miami Gardens to remember Isaiah. His mother, Sirena Harrell, made public pleas for justice, begging for anyone with information to come forward and break the code of silence she felt was holding the community back. "My baby was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire," she said. "If no one speaks up, these senseless acts will continue to happen."

Despite being immobilized by pain and shock, Ms. Harrell showed incredible resilience. Just days after burying her son, she returned to her classes at Miami Dade College, determined to honor Isaiah's memory and provide for her younger daughter. She recalled how much she had stressed the importance of education to her children. Though she suffered emotional breakdowns in class, she persevered, eventually graduating with honors in May 2018 with an associate's degree. On her graduation cap, she featured a picture of her son with the words, “Even in grief…I came, I saw, I conquered.”

As of the most recent reports, no arrests have ever been made in the murders of Isaiah Solomon and Tafari West. The case remains open and unsolved, a source of unending pain for their families. On the one-year anniversary of her son's death, Sirena Harrell renewed her call for justice, leading a march and balloon release to honor his memory. A reward for information leading to an arrest in the case was increased to $14,000. The Miami-Dade Police Department and Isaiah’s family ask that anyone with information call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.