Family demands answers after 24-year-old killed by Miami-Dade deputy
Grieving relatives of a 24-year-old man shot and killed by a Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputy this week are calling for justice and demanding the release of body camera footage and official reports.
Kristofer Laboy's family gathered at their Hollywood home to share memories and express outrage over his death, which occurred Tuesday evening in Liberty City during an attempted traffic stop by the department's Robbery Intervention Detail.
"There are eyewitnesses we want to come forward. We want justice for Kristofer. He was no damn thug," said his aunt, Maria Laboy. "He was a loving son, brother and nephew. If they think they are going to get away with this, they have another thing coming."
"Why did they have to take his life? He was no threat to anyone," she added.
Deputy on leave as shooting investigated
According to police, deputies attempted to stop a yellow Corvette near Northwest 66th Street and 22nd Avenue for what they described as a window tint violation. Authorities said Laboy fled the stop and eventually ended up at a dead-end street at Northwest 85th Street and 4th Court. There, they said he exited the vehicle while armed and moved toward deputies.
That's when Deputy Kelvin Cox, a 23-year veteran of the department, fired his weapon, striking and killing Laboy. Cox is now on administrative leave, which is standard procedure as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates.
But Laboy's family disputes the account.
"This one officer came out of nowhere and gets on top of the hood of the car and gives no warning and fires," said Laboy's uncle, Anthony Haygood. "I want to see body cam video of this."
"We want to see the video and the autopsy report," said Sandra Laboy, another of Kristofer's aunts.
Police union defends deputy's actions
Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, defended Deputy Cox's actions, saying the deputy was left with no choice.
"When you pull out a gun on a police officer, there is only one way for this to end," Stahl said. "He could have left that gun inside the car. He could have put his hand out the window. He chose to get out of the car and pull the gun on officers."
"If he had a concealed weapon permit, he had to have had an education where you do not, during a traffic stop, pull a gun out on an officer," he continued. "Our hearts grieve for the family that has suffered a loss, but the situation was dictated by him. The officer had to defend himself and others, and he had to take his life."
Loved ones say they'll keep fighting
As they mourn, Laboy's family said they are considering legal action and won't stop until they get answers.
"He meant my life to me. I am numb. I don't know how to process this. My heart is broken into pieces," said Marisol Laboy, visibly emotional. "We are not going to stop until we get justice. I just want justice for my baby."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
27 minutes ago
- CBS News
More than $2 million in sculptures stolen from Anaheim warehouse, police say
Two sculptures valued at a combined $2.1 million were taken from an Anaheim warehouse last week, according to police. It happened sometime before June 9, Anaheim police told CBS News Los Angeles. They say that the owner of the business locked up two days earlier on Saturday, and by the time he returned that Monday, two statues were taken. The two statues, created by Sir Daniel Winn, that were stolen from a warehouse in Anaheim. Masterpiece Publishing Each of the pieces of artwork, created by Sir Daniel Winn, are said to stand over eight feel tall and weigh thousands of pounds. One of the two is estimated to be worth $1.8 million, while the second statue is said to be worth $200,000. Police say that due to the size of the sculptures, they believe the suspects possibly used a forklift to remove them from the warehouse. Because the building was unmarked and there was no indication that the statues were inside, police also believe that the suspects knew they were there. They were the only two pieces taken from inside of the warehouse, which was also storing other artwork, they said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Emmett Till national monument at risk of removal from Trump's anti-DEI initiatives
Tallahatchie County, Mississippi — There are 138 National Monuments across the U.S., but for the first time in nearly 100 years, they're eligible to be sold for parts. This Juneteenth, some of the protected lands in jeopardy commemorate important moments in American civil rights history, including some newer monuments like the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. "We are seeing this effort to erase and reverse history and historic preservation," said historian Alan Spears, senior director of cultural resources and government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association. "This is turning quickly into a dream deferred." Spears advocated for years, alongside several community members, to get federal protections for the areas in Mississippi and Chicago that tell the story of Emmett Till — a 14-year-old Chicago boy who was kidnapped in the middle of the night and brutally lynched in 1955 after reportedly whistling at a White woman while visiting family in Mississippi. "His badly decomposed body was taken from the water, and officials in this area wanted to have him buried immediately to sort of get rid of the evidence," Spears explained. "His mother insisted that he'd be sent back to Chicago, where they had an open casket funeral. And images of Till's badly decomposed body in that open casket really sparked the modern civil rights movement." Protections to preserve this history finally came in 2023, when a monument consisting of two sites in Mississippi and one in Illinois, was designated by former President Joe Biden. One site is located at Graball Landing along the Tallahatchie River near Glendora, Mississippi, where Till's body was found. The second is at the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, where his confessed killers were found not guilty by an all-White jury. The third is located at Chicago's Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, where Till's funeral was held. Spears says he and his colleagues have been working to expand the monument, not remove or shrink it. "Let's make sure it doesn't happen to anybody else's son ever again," Spears said. But just as the stroke of a president's pen preserved these areas, it could now take them away. A legal opinion released by the Justice Department earlier this month gives presidents the ability to revoke or shrink certain national monuments for the first time since the 1930s. The opinion comes as part of a movement against diversity, equity and inclusion, with some land reportedly under consideration to be used for mineral extractions. It's not just national monuments that are at risk. Under newly proposed budget cuts for the National Park Service of nearly $1 billion, Spears says more than 300 park sites would be forced to shut down. Those budget cuts could also potentially see the closure of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, according to Spears and former National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. "It's like amputating an arm for a hangnail. It's a complete overreaction," Spears says. Sams says the agency has lost 13% of its staff already since he left his post earlier this year. Sams was involved in the designation of five different National Monuments signed by Biden, including the Till monument. He says if the monument were to close, it would be "very sad and egregious." "People don't like to look at their past when it shows a negative light of who we are, and I can understand that nobody likes to look at their own personal past that may have a negative light, but we also know that in order to learn from our own history, we also have to learn from our past mistakes,' Sams told CBS News. "And we, as Americans, have never been actually scared to do so, and I don't think we should be now. We look at our past, and we know that from our past mistakes that we have become stronger." Currently, the Chuckwalla National Monument and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument — both located in California — are under consideration for revocation or being sold for parts. The Baaj Nwaavjo I'tāh Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument is also under consideration reportedly due to its uranium supply. Judy Cummings is touring America's national monuments this summer with her daughter and granddaughter. They drove from Wisconsin to see the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument sites in North Mississippi. Asked about the potential for sites like this to close, Cummings said, "it makes me want to weep and it makes me furious at the same time." When asked about the potential removal of national monuments, White House spokesperson Anne Kelly told CBS News in a statement, "Under President Trump's leadership, Secretary Burgum is keeping our parks ready for peak season, ensuring they are in pristine condition for visitors, and restoring truth and sanity to depictions of American history in line with the President's Executive Order. The President is simultaneously following through on his promise to 'Drill, Baby, Drill' and restore American energy dominance." And in a separate statement provided to to CBS News, the Department of Interior said: "Under President Trump's leadership, we're advancing strategic reforms to maximize resources and improve park operations. These efforts will make our parks more efficient, better maintained, and more enjoyable for the American people, while keeping conservation efforts strong and effective. By modernizing how we manage assets and facilities, we're ensuring our parks can serve future generations even better." "You can't just do away with more than two-thirds of the National Park System because it makes sense from a government efficiency standpoint," Spears said. "That's not what we want." According to a recent study, about half of the current National Parks first began as National Monuments, including the iconic Grand Canyon. According to Spears, every $1 invested in a National Park site returns about $15 to the communities that it is located in. "That's an enormous, enormous return on investment," Spears said. It is also an investment in the visitors too. "I don't really have words," said Nicole Cummings, Judy's daughter. "I just kind of get goosebumps and it's just really powerful." SpaceX Starship upper stage blows up Hurricane Erick approaches Mexico with destructive winds, major storm surge Biden to speak at Juneteenth event in Texas
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cottage Grove man arrested for allegedly encouraging child sex abuse
A 61-year-old man from Cottage Grove was arrested on June 19 for allegedly possessing sexually explicit images of children, according to the Cottage Grove Police Department. The man was arrested at his home at 12:30 p.m. June 19, police said. Police said the man was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation conducted by police with assistance from the Lane County Sheriff's Office and FBI. A search warrant had previously been executed at his house prior to his arrest, police said. The man faces charges of encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree, encouraging child sex abuse in the second degree, and possession of materials depicting sexually explicit conduct of a child in the first degree. He faces 88 counts on each of the charges. The man was in custody at the Lane County Jail as of June 19. It was not immediately clear when he would be arraigned on the charges. Samantha Pierotti is the food, drinks and "things to do" reporter for The Register-Guard. With tips on restaurants and local happenings, you can reach her via email at spierotti@ This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Cottage Grove man arrested for allegedly encouraging child sex abuse
