{"id":343016,"date":"2026-07-17T03:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T03:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/343016\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T03:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T03:10:09","slug":"families-honor-slain-cousins-with-march-candlelight-vigil-in-pompano-beach-wsvn-7news-miami-news-weather-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/343016\/","title":{"rendered":"Families honor slain cousins with march, candlelight vigil in Pompano Beach – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Heavy hearts were present at a candlelight memorial for two cousins who were killed<\/a> in a deadly ambush as the family turned their grief into a call for justice.<\/p>\n

Holding bullhorns and a banner that read \u201cMarch Against Gun Violence,\u201d loved ones gathered in Pompano Beach on Thursday to participate in a nearly mile-long march before ending the evening with a candlelight memorial.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just turned 21. I thought I had more time with her,\u201d said Hope Jones, Brianna\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of a kind. I feel like there was no one out there like him,\u201d said Aleysia Johnson, AJ\u2019s sister.<\/p>\n

The march was organized to raise awareness for gun violence following the death of Brianna<\/a> and AJ<\/a>, two cousins who were killed in Miramar on July 5.<\/p>\n

According to investigators, the cousins were inside a Lamborghini SUV in a Miramar neighborhood when a white sedan pulled alongside them. Someone inside the sedan opened fire, striking the cousins, before driving away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t doing anything wrong. They just liked to enjoy life, have fun, and because of that, it cost them their lives,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tragedy. I just\u2014my mind is all over the place ever since, from the moment we got the phone call,\u201d said Latoria Johnson, Brianna\u2019s aunt.<\/p>\n

The family said the cousins grew up together. Brianna had built a following on social media under the name \u201cDreamDoll Bri.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing beside a cardboard cutout of her daughter, Jones remembered Brianna as a smart girl with a bubbly personality.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was more than just a dream doll to me. She was Brianna. That was my child,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

AJ\u2019s sister said her brother had big dreams for his future.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight before my brother died, he said to me he just wanted to be known as the biggest. He wanted everybody to know who he was,\u201d said Aleysia.<\/p>\n

Following the walk, family members attended a symposium focused on reducing gun violence in the community.<\/p>\n

As the sunset, supporters gathered once more to light candles and remember their loved ones during the emotional vigil.<\/p>\n

While the family said the community\u2019s support has helped them through the grieving process, they continue urging the public to help authorities with any information about the shooting that could lead to a break in the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the shoe were on the other foot, I\u2019m pretty sure they would want someone to do the same thing for them,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n

If you have any information on this crime, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n

\tJoin our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Heavy hearts were present at a candlelight memorial for two cousins who were…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343017,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250],"class_list":["post-343016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}