Aaliyah Gonzalez's family is one step closer to getting justice after the 18-year-old was fatally shot while trying to flee an altercation in Collier County.
Two weeks ago, Gonzalez was hanging out with friends near apartments on Airport Pulling Road North and Ponce de Leon Drive. Another group approached them, and an altercation began. Shots were fired as Gonzalez tried to flee in a car, and she was shot in the head.
"And then I guess as they try to de-escalate the situation, there was an argument going on. She tried to de-escalate it, and they tried to flee the area. And then I guess a gun was involved. And as they tried to leave, he chased them in a vehicle and started shooting multiple times," said one of Gonzalez's aunts.
"Wrong place at the wrong time," another aunt added.
Gonzalez's three aunts, who did not want to show their faces due to safety concerns, shared their heartbreak in an exclusive interview. They said their niece, who had just turned 18, was like a sister to them.
"So I think she was trying to get into the car. She already had felt it — the gunshot. She tried to tell her friends. I guess she was in pain, or they noticed. I'm not sure how that went down. They noticed that she kind of just collapsed. I guess she just collapsed," one aunt said.
Instead of calling 911, the people Gonzalez was with did not call for an ambulance. About an hour later, they dropped her off at a hospital.
"But we are very annoyed that they didn't just take her right away, that they were stalling for so long. And I don't know, I feel like her life could have been saved," one aunt said.
The family believes they know who did it. The Collier County Sheriff's Office confirmed they have a warrant out for the arrest of 19-year-old Antonio Licout in connection with the shooting.
"So for her, we definitely want justice. We want for something to be done for her. We want this guy to be behind bars, to pay, to do his time because of what he did," one aunt said.
"The pain we feel, I would never want another family to feel ... not on my worst enemy, not anybody. It's just that we lost her. She's gone. It kind of hurts to say that even if they catch him, it's just, like — she's not coming back," she added.
If you know more about Licout's whereabouts, contact the Collier County Sheriff's Office.
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