The day after three people are shot, it’s a normal Mother’s Day at Aventura Mall
Aventura Mall reopened Sunday to crowds of bustling patrons eagerly enjoying Mother’s Day shopping sprees. It was a day like any other, with no trace of the triple shooting that had occurred there just a day before.
Even after videos and pictures of frightened, running mall-goers flooded social media and garnered national attention, Aventura police have been silent about their efforts to find the gunman — who was still on the loose Sunday evening.
The violent incident took place on Saturday, after an argument between two groups of people got physical outside the Hugo Boss store in the mall, police said. Guns were drawn by both groups, and one person had fired multiple shots, hospitalizing three people. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said it also transported two others who were injured in the ensuing ruckus.
A day later outside the Hugo Boss store, no sign remained of the shooting.
Last-minute shoppers lined up outside Pandora and Sephora. Families sat on the edge of the fish pond and shared snacks while plotting their next move. Restaurants served up brunch. Couples perused the wares being sold on tables in the atrium.
As shopper Christian Bermudez told WPLG-Channel 10, “I definitely thought there was going to be a lot less people here. I thought there was going to be more security or something around, but it seemed to be like business as usual, not really any change.”
As of 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aventura police hadn’t responded to the Miami Herald after several attempts to get an update on authorities’ pursuit of the gunman.
Aventura Police Major Michael Bentolila told reporters Saturday that the shooter was a Black man in an all-black Adidas outfit and he had ran west away from the scene. Aventura detectives were questioning three suspects — who were taken into custody.
This story was originally published May 9, 2021 at 7:45 PM.
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