MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A grieving family is pleading for answers after a 25-year-old man was shot and killed while driving on Florida’s Turnpike Sunday evening in what investigators believe may have been an act of road rage.
Kendrick Lesesne, of Miami, was behind the wheel of a silver Hyundai heading northbound near Northwest 199th Street when he was shot, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The vehicle crashed into another car around 7:30 p.m.
Lesesne died at the scene.
His family says he was on the way to South Carolina with his cousin to visit his mother. He had planned to stop in Pembroke Pines to pick up his luggage — but never made it there.
“It was devastating,” said Tamara Ragin, Lesesne’s aunt. “He said, ‘Auntie, I need a little something for my pockets. I need to take care of some things.’ That’s what I’m gonna play in my mind to keep me going.”
Loved ones described Lesesne as kind-hearted and full of life, with a smile that was impossible to ignore.
“When his dimples popped out, it made him the type of person you couldn’t resist,” one family member said.
Lesesne worked at PortMiami alongside his grandfather. His family says he was hardworking and had no known enemies.
“Senseless acts like this are things that can be avoided,” said his uncle, Cornelius Toombs. “They should be avoided at all costs.”
Investigators are still searching for whoever fired the shot that killed Lesesne and are asking for the public’s help. So far, no arrests have been made.
“Whoever did this, I’m just asking — turn yourself in,” Ragin said. “Imagine if it was your family. Your family member.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Florida Highway Patrol or local authorities.
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