A Memorial Day Weekend shooting resulted in the death of two people and the injury of 20 others in Northwest Miami-Date early Sunday morning after three suspected shooters wearing ski masks and hoodies opened fire at a crowd gathered for a rap album release concert.
Police said the incident is the most recent and historically one of the worst mass shooting crimes in the county. They said that three of the injured victims are in critical condition after the shooting.
Mass Shooting
Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez said the shooting started just after midnight. The three suspects armed with handguns and semi-automatic rifles got out of a white Nissan Pathfinder and quickly sprayed bullets into a crowd of residents outside the El Mula Banquet Hall.
Ramirez said the suspects had a target or targets in mind and waited patiently inside their vehicle for the person or people to come out of the club before assaulting them. The police director said there were also some people from the crowd who fired back at the attackers.
Officials said the aftermath of the shooting was chaotic, with paramedics, friends, and family members rushing victims to different hospitals in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Police were still trying to identify all of the people involved in the shootout.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported eight of the injured victims to Miami-Dade and Broward hospitals, Miami-Dade police spokesman Detective Angel Rodriguez said. He also noted there were at least 12 other victims who were brought to various other hospitals.
Medical professionals announced two people dead at the scene after being shot during the encounter. None of the victims or suspects have been identified by investigators as of mid-Sunday afternoon. However, during an early-morning press conference, Ramirez said the incident was definitely not a random attack, Tampa Bay reported.
“This type of gun violence has to stop. Every weekend it is the same thing. This is targeted,” Ramirez said. He asked the public for assistance in identifying and locating the suspects. One Miami businessman also offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who could provide useful information regarding the incident.