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Attorney Ben Crump Calls on DOJ to Investigate the Deaths of Two Viera Teens

Photo: Ben Crump, Danielle Prieur
Photo: Ben Crump, Danielle Prieur

The teens were shot and killed when a deputy fired into their moving vehicle last November. 

16-year-old Angelo "AJ" Crooms and 18-year-old Sincere Pierce were shot and killed by Deputy Jefet Santiago-Miranda during an attempted traffic stop last year. 

Crump wants the DOJ to investigate the boys’ deaths and the culture of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re better than this, America. We’re better than this Brevard County. We want a better world for all our children. We want to give all our children an equal opportunity to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

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Crump also announced he’s filed a lawsuit against Deputy Santiago-Miranda and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office on behalf of the families. 

AJ’s mother Tasha Strachan says she’s fighting for justice for her son and to protect the lives of other young Black men like him. 

“My son’s life mattered. This is not the end of what happened to these kids. My son didn’t need to be dead. He wasn’t a career criminal. He was 16 years old. Who may have made a mistake. But still had time to correct it. Unlike the deputy that killed him. My son wasn’t a career criminal. He had time to fix his mistakes.”

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The boys were killed last November.

The lawsuit comes just days after the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.

Danielle Prieur is WMFE's education reporter.