On the evening of April 12, 2026, a celebration of Caribbean culture at the Taste of Miami Karnival in Little Haiti turned into a scene of violence that claimed the life of 23-year-old Kitchner Cyrille. The festival, filled with music and art, was shattered by gunfire shortly before 11:30 p.m. near the main stage at Northeast Second Avenue and 62nd Street.
Cyrille, who was at the event with his family, was shot in the chest and later died at Jackson Memorial Ryder Trauma Center just before midnight. Two other individuals, including Cyrille's cousin and an unidentified woman, were also wounded in the shooting but were listed in stable condition.
The incident stemmed from a physical altercation between Cyrille and another man. Surveillance footage from the event captured the fight, which escalated when the man, later identified as 22-year-old Jamesly Mezime of North Miami Beach, pulled out a firearm and shot Cyrille. After Cyrille fell to the ground, individuals who were with Mezime were seen going through his pockets before fleeing the scene.
An investigation swiftly led Miami police to Jamesly Mezime. A witness, who identified herself as Mezime's ex-girlfriend, contacted authorities and named him as the shooter. License plate readers captured a Black Dodge Charger, in which Mezime and four other men arrived at the festival, entering the area before the shooting. Following the incident, the same vehicle was spotted in Pembroke Pines, leading to a felony traffic stop. Undercover units had also been surveilling Mezime's home. He was arrested at Biscayne Boulevard and 38th Street without incident and later confessed to the shooting, claiming it was in self-defense.
Mezime was charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He appeared in bond court where he was held without bond. Family members described Kitchner Cyrille as a kind and helpful young man who had graduated from Miami Edison Senior High School and was attending junior college with a passion for track. His aunt, Chrislyne Brumaire-Florence, expressed the family's devastation, stating that a day meant for joyful celebration had ended in a heartbreaking tragedy.
