3 shot on Coconut Grove street near trouble spot

Miami police have few leads on who shot three men in Coconut Grove early Wednesday morning.

The three men — two who were shot in the leg, the other whose torso was grazed — were driven to Mercy Hospital by a friend. The shooting took place in front of a home in the 3600 block of Florida Avenue.

Police said the injured men aren’t talking. None of the injuries are life-threatening.

Wednesday’s incident isn’t far from where a double shooting took place in February that injured two men near Elizabeth Virrick Park in the Grove. They believe that shooting was a continuation of a feud over a murder a few years ago at another basketball court.

Police said at the time they believed the February shooting was related to eight other shootings in the same neighborhood dating back to the summer of 2014.

Shootings last year in the West Grove drew the community’s ire, particularly from parents whose children attend nearby schools. The shootings led to public meetings and increased patrols that seemed to quiet things down.

Especially troubling to parents were shootings last year near Frances S. Tucker Elementary at 3500 Douglas Road. In one case, a teen was shot and killed on a field under the school’s marquee on a weekend when the school was empty. Since then, the school has been placed on lockdown after gunfire was reported in the area.

After last summer’s incidents Miami PD’s Coconut Grove Cmdr. Manny Morales met with community activists and Crime Watch members and boosted enforcement with K9 units and mounted patrols. Police also visited Frances Tucker students, teaching them the dangers of joining gangs.

This story was originally published August 5, 2015 at 7:55 AM with the headline "3 shot on Coconut Grove street near trouble spot."