Drive-by shootings shake South Miami-Dade. 4 teens, 7 others injured since Friday
.jpg "Eleven people, including four teens, have been shot and injured in a series of drive-by shootings that have rocked South Miami-Dade since last Friday. Photo by Getty Images This is a stock image downloaded from Getty Images. It is a Royalty Free image. Getty Images | Royalty Free")
A series of shootings in South Miami-Dade over the past week, including one Wednesday morning that left four teens injured, has forced police to step up patrols and look into any possible links.
Two of the incidents are believed to be drive-by shootings. No suspects have been taken into custody and police haven’t released any possible motives. The other two were considered minor. One involved two people who were shot and driven to a local hospital after a fight over a parked car. In the other, gunfire was reported but the only damage found was a bullet hole in a fence.
In all, over a four-day period and 60 blocks, 11 people were injured by gunfire, one seriously.
“We’ve increased patrols in both Perrine and Goulds. There’s a lot of youth violence from beefs and street gangs in those neighborhoods,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez. “Crime has declined overall, but we’ve noticed a recent uptick in shootings.”
A law enforcement source with knowledge of the shootings said they don’t appear to be connected, though uniformed and plainclothes police have flooded the area trying to keep the public safe and to gather information.
The agency will also beef up operations like last summer’s Operation Summer Heat, when local officers working with help from state and federal agencies was credited with an increase in arrests and weapons confiscations and a considerable decrease in the major crime rate.
The first shooting happened just after 5 p.m. last Friday at an apartment complex called Cutler Manor at 10875 SW 216th St. Witnesses and police said a 15-year-old boy who had just exited the apartment property appeared to be the target and that someone in a car opened fire as soon as he exited the property. He was shot in the buttocks.
But the semi-automatic weapon spray also struck three other teens inside the property. Two of them were 13, the third was 15 and he suffered the most serious injury when a bullet hit him in the chest. Early indications, according to police, are that the three teens injured inside the complex were collateral damage.
The shooting caught the attention of Ramirez, who spoke Friday night at the crime scene, calling it “senseless” and saying there could have been “four dead teenagers.”
Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers has upped its reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction to $15,000.
The shooting angered and brought back bitter memories for Romania Dukes, whose son was shot and killed in the same complex eight years ago. She has since founded a group called Mothers Fighting for Justice, according to a report from WTVJ Channel 6.
“Enough is enough. This has to stop. How many more kids have to get shot? How many kids have to die?” she asked. “Here I am in the very same place where my son was murdered, ten steps away from where my son died in my arms.”
The next shooting happened just after midnight Saturday at Southwest 220th Street and 116th Avenue. Witnesses told police that a homeowner upset someone had parked in front of his home went outside to complain. It turned out to be a mistake and only upset someone in the car, who got out and opened fire. Two people were shot and taken to nearby hospitals. Police said they are in stable condition.
Then less than five minutes later at Southwest 231st Lane and 113th Place, police alerted to gunfire showed up and only found a bullet hole in a fence.
And finally, early Wednesday morning just after midnight, five adults sitting around and talking outside of the Perrine Rainbow apartment complex at 10000 SW 173rd Terr. were shot and injured during another drive-by shooting, police said.
Police said the victims were three women and two men, all in their 30s and 40s. Four of them were transported to the hospital. A fifth victim, another woman, showed up on her own a short time later. All are expected to survive. Police said they’re looking for two people in a dark sedan.
Anyone with information on any of the shootings is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 4:35 PM.
