Crime & Safety
Charges Pending In Deaths Of 3 Miami Area Teen Soccer Players
Charges are pending against a 31-year-old woman stemming from the deaths of three Miami area teenagers, according to police and prosecutors.
NORTH MIAMI, FL — Charges were pending Wednesday against a 31-year-old woman stemming from the deaths of three Miami area teenagers, who were on their way to play in a soccer tournament when they were struck and killed by an SUV over the weekend, according to North Miami police and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
"Through the course of the investigation, the police department has developed probable cause for the arrest of Mariam Coulibaly," the North Miami Police Department said in a statement. The charges were pending Coulibaly's release from the hospital.
The fatal crash happened about 5:30 a.m. Saturday at NE 125th Street at 13th Avenue in North Miami as the boys — all players for the Little Haiti FC Soccer Club — were walking to board a bus with their teammates. See also 3 Teen Soccer Players Killed In North Miami Crash
Find out what's happening in Miamifor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"There is no such thing as a DUI accident," said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle on Wednesday. "Every DUI incident is a crime, an act undertaken by an individual who could have chosen not to drink and drive but instead decided to start the car and go. The results are always terrible as the loss of these three fine young men so vividly displays."
The teenagers were identified by North Miami police as 17-year-old Richecarde Dumay, 15-year-old Lens Desir, and 13-year-old Gedeon Desir.
Find out what's happening in Miamifor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The three would've played Saturday alongside their friends as part of the Under-18 and Under-15 teams in the Enigma Tournament in Weston.
The oldest, Richecarde Dumay, also played football as a kicker for Miami Edison High School.
The Little Haiti FC Club called it "a horribly tragic accident" in which the boys were killed.
A total of $71,668 had been donated via GoFundMe toward funeral expenses for the boys' families as of Wednesday evening.
"Any additional funding will go towards the Little Haiti FC and carrying on its mission of serving the at-risk youth of the community in memory of their friends that passed away so tragically," the soccer club said on GoFundMe, which is a Patch promotional partner.
Patch editor Maggie Avants contributed to this report.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
