The stepmother of a man shot and killed in a Memorial Day altercation in Southwest Miami-Dade is speaking out for the first time, telling CBS News Miami she believes her stepson was unjustly killed.
“I want the truth to come out that he did not fire one shot,” said Iris Goss.
Family speaks out: “He didn’t deserve this”
Goss said she had raised 41-year-old Clifford Harper since he was five years old and is demanding accountability in the case.
“I want justice for Clifford because he didn’t deserve this,” she said.
Harper was shot in front of a house on Southwest 86th Court in the Cutler Bay neighborhood, where he had reportedly gone to see his four daughters.
His family said Harper had been living apart from his wife since January due to marital issues but was not divorced.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the case, an altercation occurred between two armed men, one of whom was Harper. Deputies said both individuals were armed, but Goss insists Harper never drew his weapon.
“He never pulled out the gun out of his holster, the gun was in the holster. He got shot with a .45, two to the chest. When he went to reach for the holster, they shot him in the shoulder, then he put his hand out and they shot him in the hand,” said Goss.
Vigil held, family demands answers
A day after the shooting, family members gathered for a vigil outside the home where Harper once lived with his wife. “There has to be a very detailed investigation about this,” said Rene Rodriguez, the victim’s uncle.
Goss said the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office told her the case is still under investigation and that no arrests have been made. Another man involved in the incident was reportedly questioned for hours but not detained.
The family said Harper worked with exotic animals at the Redland Conservation Center. They were notified of his death by someone at the center.
“I expected to hear that an animal attacked him or something,” Goss recalled. “And then when we got to the hospital, they told us that the coroner already picked him up. I couldn’t even hug him and say goodbye.”
