All in the (crime) family

Jamal T. Singletary was born on April 7, 1986. His birthday is tomorrow.

He won't be there.

A Metro-Dade police detective shot him to death Tuesday night.

From the Metro-Dade police press release:

According to investigators, a detective from the MDPD Robbery Intervention Detail (RID) identified a vehicle with a stolen tag, driving erratically in the NW area of unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

The RID detective followed the vehicle into the City of Miami, where he attempted to stop the vehicle. As both traveled eastbound on NW 32nd Street, the driver of the vehicle (subject #1) pointed and fired an assault rifle in the direction of the RID detective.

The subject and RID detective both exited their vehicles and exchanged gunfire.

The subject was struck during the shooting and subsequently transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died.

Miami New Times reports that Singletary,

Had a criminal record, including an open felony charge of aggravated assault with a firearm filed last June. He'd earlier been convicted of felony cocaine possession.

Singletary was also arrested on April 11, 2010 by Hallandale police for armed carjacking, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and obstruction with violence.

WSVN's Andre Hepkins reported today that 16 year-old Joel Lee Johnson, who was shot to death last August by Miami police, was Singletary's cousin.

A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed by a police officer Wednesday night in the Overtown section of Miami, according to investigators.

An undercover robbery investigation near Northwest 4th Avenue and 17th Street resulted in the shooting.

An undercover detective wore a food deliveryman's uniform in Wednesday night's operation.

"They were in a Chinese delivery van, and there was a young male going towards them, and I heard gunshots after that," said a resident who did not want to be identified.

The sound of shattering glass through her front living room window was enough to send the woman ducking for cover.

"I thought someone was shooting at me," she said. "I fell on my right hand and my right hip."

Police identified the person who was shot as 16-year-old Joel Lee Johnson.

A source close to the investigation told Local 10 that Johnson was armed.

Johnson's family showed up at Miami Police headquarters Thursday to demand answers.

"He's not a violent kid. He doesn't get in any trouble. He doesn't have a criminal record. They won't tell us anything. They just say it's an open investigation and that's it," said Lisa Singletary, Johnson's aunt.

Singletary's mother, Lawanda Singletary, told WSVN last night and today that her son was, "trying to stay out of trouble and stuff like that. He didn't want to go back to jail. He was trying to do the right thing."