2 killed, more than 20 wounded in mass shooting at rap concert, Miami-Dade police say
BY DEVOUN CETOUTE, AARON LEIBOWITZ, AND BIANCA PADRÓ OCASIO
Miami Herald
Miami-Dade police are investigating a mass shooting at a concert that has killed two people and injured 20 to 25 others in North Miami-Dade, near Miami Gardens. BY DEVOUN CETOUTE
Two people were killed and up to 25 people wounded at a concert early Sunday morning in Northwest Miami-Dade in what authorities say is one of the largest mass shootings in the county in recent memory. One of those injured is in critical condition, according to police.
The shooting started after midnight outside a concert at a banquet hall in a large shopping center on the 7600 block of Northwest 186th Street, Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez said. The venue, El Mula Banquet Hall, is located in the Country Club Shopping Center in an unincorporated area north of the State Road 826 big curve near the Country Club of Miami.
El Mula Banquet Hall had been rented out for the rap concert, police said. Some concert-goers were outside when a white Nissan Pathfinder pulled up, Ramirez said. Three unidentified people stepped out of the SUV with assault rifles and handguns and began shooting “indiscriminately” into the crowd, Ramirez said.
Two people were shot dead at the hall and 20 to 25 others suffered gunshot wounds. One of the injured is in critical condition.
“We believe this is a targeted act of gun violence,” Ramirez said. “This is a despicable act of gun violence, a cowardly act.”
El Mula was hosting a Memorial Day Weekend album release party on Saturday night, featuring live performances from local rappers, including ABMG Spitta, according to several event flyers posted on Instagram. The flyer incorrectly listed Hialeah as the city where the event was taking place.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took eight of the injured to Miami-Dade and Broward hospitals, said Miami-Dade police spokesman Detective Angel Rodriguez. In addition, he said, more than 12 other victims went to various hospitals on their own.
“This type of gun violence has to stop,” Ramirez said. “Every weekend it is the same thing. This is targeted, this is definitely not random.”
Relatives and friends rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital to check on the conditions of loved ones.
By 6 a.m., a few people remained outside the entrance, eager to hear updates. A few joined hands in prayer. People approached by the Herald did not want to talk about what happened, or were too emotional to give interviews.
“Words can’t explain how I feel right now, man,” Chad Harris, whose 19-year-old daughter was shot, told WSVN-7. “She’s in surgery right now. We’re just praying.”
Around 10 a.m. Sunday, a helicopter hovered above the scene and police tape blocked off the entrance to the Country Club Shopping Center. Police continued to place yellow markers on the ground and take photographs outside El Mula Banquet Hall.
A Miami-Dade police officer told the Herald all of the stores in the shopping center — including day cares, a restaurant, a nail salon and a bakery — were closed until further notice. The officer said one restaurant owner was briefly allowed inside to turn off their stove.
This is the second major shooting in the Miami area over the Memorial Day weekend. Late Friday into Saturday, one person was killed and six others wounded in a drive-by shooting in the Wynwood area of Miami.
There was also a brazen shooting and car chase early Thursday evening near Casino Miami Jai-Alai in which three people were injured.
“It is very difficult to stop a small amount of individuals who want to go out there and commit murder, and it takes all of us to stop this,” Ramirez said. “We really have to put the work in this summer to keep our children and community safe.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava echoed Ramirez’s thoughts. She tweeted Sunday that she is working closely with public safety officials to “bring criminals to justice” and “fight violence at the root with strategies aimed at prevention & intervention.”
“We must create alternate pathways for at-risk youth and we must build safer, more prosperous neighborhoods to stem the tide of violence,” Levine Cava tweeted. “Enough is enough — no more innocent lives lost.”
POLICE SEEK HELP
Police do not yet have description of the three people who shot into the crowd. Anyone with information on the shooting or shooters is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
Miami Herald staff writers David Ovalle and Charles Rabin contributed to this report.
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https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article251783868.html