Two 12-year-old boys shot while waiting for school bus in Miami-Dade. Teen arrested
Two 12-year-old boys were shot and wounded while waiting for their school bus Thursday morning in Northwest Miami-Dade, police said.
The shooting began as an attempted robbery in the area of Northwest 109th Street and 10th Avenue just before 8 a.m., according to Miami-Dade police.
Police on Friday identified the shooting suspect as 16-year-old Emmanuel Morales, who was arrested on charges of attempted murder with a firearm and armed robbery.
Morales “demanded their cellphones,” and “began shooting at them for no reason,” Miami-Dade Police Detective Argemis Colome said in a Thursday news briefing. He then ran away.
“These are two juveniles — two 12-year-olds — it could be our children just going to school,” Colome said. “That is the last thing that any parent has on their mind — that their 12-year-olds that are waiting to go to school are going to get shot at.”
The two kids are students at Madison Middle School, WPLG-Channel 10 reported. They were taken to the hospital and are listed in stable condition, Colome said.
In a statement, Miami-Dade County Public Schools said: “This incident was immediately addressed by the school’s administration and by Miami Dade Schools Police. M-DCPS remains committed to fostering a safe learning environment for students and employees.”
Police created a perimeter in the area and began searching for Morales, who was eventually taken into custody a couple blocks away. Police said they recovered two handguns and one rifle.
“Detectives are asking themselves right now ‘Why is a 16-year-old armed with firearms,” Colome said.
Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III added, “I am appalled that a 16-year-old was in possession of a rifle and two handguns. I am deeply disturbed that he used one of these firearms to shoot two of our innocent children.“
The latest shooting came just hours after two teenagers — an 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy — were shot and wounded in Hialeah in a separate incident late Wednesday.
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This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 3:46 PM.
