Mourning Family: “He Didn’t Deserve To Be Shot Down In The Street.”

By Nicol Jenkins
Editor

Sandra Murray’s last words to her son expressed love and anticipation for his return home.

“I told him I loved him and that I would see him Friday,” Sandra told the Our Town News.

But her 30-year-old son Anthony Eric Murray never came home. The day before he planned to return to his home in Virginia he was shot and killed. Murray was walking along the 8600 block of Forest Hills Blvd. in Coral Springs when his life was taken at 4:30 in the afternoon Feb. 6.

Murray,  an  African American male, was only six blocks from his grandparents’ home when two white males allegedly driving an older model of a red, 4-door Mercedes got into a confrontation with Murray in the middle of the intersection, according to Detective Scott Myers. One of the suspects is in his 40s, around 5’7”, heavy set, and last seen wearing a yellow polo shirt with blue horizontal stripes. The other suspect is in his late 20s to early 30s, around 6’1”, muscular build, dirty blonde hair, and last seen wearing a white t-shirt with black sweat pants. The suspect in his 40s shot Murray and then both drove away, Myers said. Many witnesses called the police. Murray was then transported to North Broward Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“He was due to leave the next day and go home from visiting his grandparents. Instead of coming home, I had to come here to bury him,” Sandra told reporters Feb. 11 the day of her son’s funeral. She stood at the scene of her son’s shooting with her daughter and sisters in tears pleading for witnesses to come forward.

Since the case is classified as unusual, a shooting in the middle of the day in a good neighborhood, Coral Springs police and the victim’s family are seeking any information regarding the suspected killers and Crime Stoppers will give a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest. 

“No matter how small the information, please report it so we can bring justice to my son and so those people can never hurt anyone again,” the grieving mother said.

Although police say it’s too soon to confirm a motive, the homicide appears to be a random act of violence.

“As of now, it appears to be a random act. We’re under the assumption that he may be a victim of a racist crime,” said Coral Springs Police Department spokesman Joe McHugh.

Myers added, “There appears to be no motive. The victim was on foot walking on the street in the middle of the day. It’s very unusual. It looks like a road rage incident. It does not appear to be a robbery.”

Sandra says her son was a kind and loving person who was never a troublemaker.

“Someone shot him down in the street like a dog. He wouldn’t hurt a fly,” she said. “He wasn’t a thug. He was a caring person and had a good life and a good family.”

His younger sister Joni added, “My brother was really a nice guy, liked rap and to dance, he worked on cars. He was never in a gang and never sold drugs. He wasn’t a menace to society. He didn’t deserve to be shot down in the street.”

The mother said she will not have closure until her son’s killers are behind bars and she knows the truth of that tragic day.

“There is no way I can understand. I can’t begin to. Why would two people twice his size hurt him? He never bothered anyone,” she said. “If they are caught and brought to justice, then maybe they can explain.”

Anyone who has information on the shooting should contact Detective Scott Myers at 954-346-1229 or the anonymous tips line at 1-866-493-TIPS.

Staff Intern Sabrina Goodwin contributed to this article.