A 21-year-old Georgia college student was one of two people shot over the weekend in the Miami area for spring break.
Jordan Idahosa was shot and killed on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on the night of March 17.
Idahosa attended South Georgia State College in Valdosta, Georgia, and went on the spring break trip with his friend Javon Johnson of Albany, Georgia, station WALB reports.
“My friend had called me to see where I was at, and I turned around for like 10 seconds. After that, all you heard was gunshots. I really didn’t know who it was. I couldn’t see anything,” said Johnson.
Miami Beach Police said they responded to a shooting incident that took place just before 11 p.m. on March 19. Idahosa was walking alongside Ocean Drive and 11th street with a group of friends when another Black male approached him and started firing his gun. Investigators say the shooting was targeted but have not disclosed the motive, CBS Miami reports.
Idahosa was reportedly walking with his arm around a woman when he shot, according to the local news station.
The gunman fired several shots as Idahosa lay helpless on the ground. Police said Idahosa died later at the hospital and another victim, whose identity remained anonymous, was taken to the hospital for gunshot wounds.
According to reports, Idahosa’s killing and the other victim’s shooting are two isolated incidents. Police also said that they recovered four firearms from the scene. Dontavious Leonard Polk, 24, identified as the suspect, was arrested later that night of the incident. He ran and threw a stolen firearm in the bushes, which was recovered by authorities.
Police also stated that Polk was an ex-convict from Fort Lauderdale, and he was sentenced to four years in prison after convictions for a carjacking incident with a deadly weapon in 2017. He was also convicted of robbery and battery of someone over 65. Polk was just released from prison in 2021.
“Jordan was a special guy. He went from being homeschooled to being a scholar. There’s millions and millions of memories of me and Jordan. We grew up three years apart, and we practically did everything together. He’s like my twin brother,” said Sammy Idahosa, Jordan’s brother.
In addition to Idahosa being a college student, he was part of Valdosta State University’s Collegiate Men organization. The organization was started to help shape young college men for their future beyond college by consistently “creating men of character, men of distinction, and men of excellence for today and tomorrow.”
Idahosa took classes at Valdosta State while enrolled at South Georgia State, which made him eligible to join the club.
“Jordan was the first Idahosa to depart from us. It doesn’t feel real. I just want people to know my brother was a soldier. My brother was a warrior and still is in spirit,” Sammy Idahosa said.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber implemented a curfew of 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. that took effect on March 19 at 11:59 p.m. and is still in place.
“We don’t ask for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, it’s too much disorder, and it’s too difficult to police,” Gelber said.
This is the third consecutive year that the mayor has implemented a curfew. In 2021, restrictions and curfews were set because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last two years it has been because of the increased tourism during spring break.
The Miami Beach Police Department reported that as of Sunday night, there were 332 arrests and 71 guns were confiscated.
“We have a situation where we can’t control the violence in our streets,” City Commissioner Steven Meiner said Monday. “There are too many guns.”
Fraternal Order of Police President Robert Hernandez believes that if the crowd size was to be reduced, then it would help with better crowd management. In Monday’s town hall meeting, he suggested limiting traffic coming into the beach down to one lane and suspending public parking on the three busiest weekends during spring break, according to the Miami Herald.
