A festive Sunday evening celebrating Caribbean culture in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood turned into a scene of chaos and tragedy, leaving a young man dead and two others wounded. Kitchner Cyrille, a 23-year-old man, was fatally shot on April 12, 2026, during the Taste of Miami Karnival. The event, meant to be a joyous gathering of community and family, was shattered by gunfire shortly before 11:30 p.m. near the festival's main stage at Northeast Second Avenue and 62nd Street.
Cyrille, a graduate of Miami Edison Senior High School who was attending junior college and had a passion for track, had gone to the festival with his family to enjoy the celebration in the community they called home.
The violence erupted following a physical altercation between Cyrille and another man. Surveillance video captured the scuffle, which ended when the man produced a firearm and shot Cyrille in the chest. In the ensuing panic, as festival-goers ran for safety, associates of the shooter were seen going through Cyrille's pockets and taking something from him before they all fled the scene. Cyrille was rushed to Jackson Memorial Ryder Trauma Center, but he succumbed to his injuries just before midnight. The gunfire also struck two other people: Cyrille's cousin was shot multiple times, and an unidentified woman suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. Both were hospitalized in stable condition.
In the days following the shooting, the Miami Police Department identified a person of interest and appealed to the public for information. The investigation quickly led them to 22-year-old Jamesly Mezime of North Miami Beach. Investigators used surveillance footage from the event and received a crucial tip from a witness, reportedly Mezime's ex-girlfriend, who identified him as the shooter. After placing his home under surveillance, police followed Mezime and arrested him during a traffic stop on Thursday.
Following his arrest, police said Mezime cooperated and confessed to the shooting. He has been charged with second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. On Friday, Jamesly Mezime appeared in bond court, where a judge ordered him to be held without bond. Cyrille's aunt expressed the family's profound grief, stating that the senseless act left a gaping hole in their hearts. She described her nephew as the cousin who was always there to help anyone who needed it, a kind and supportive presence now lost to violence.
