Teen shot in Little Havana park in dispute over bike and ‘territory,’ police say

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the arm Friday afternoon at Henderson Park in Little Havana when a dispute between teens over a bike and neighborhood territory turned violent, according to Miami police.

Two other 17-year-olds were later taken into custody in connection with the shooting.

The altercation began in the park at 950 NW Third St. when one of the three suspects made a hand gesture believed to represent a gang sign, according to police.

The group approached the victim and his friends and challenged them to a fight, according to the teens’ arrest affidavits.

The victim said he couldn’t hear everything the group was saying but caught a reference to his parked motorcycle. He walked toward the bike and tried to leave, but it wouldn’t start.

Police said that as he was trying to get away, one of the suspects pulled out a black handgun and fired, hitting the victim in the left arm.

Another teen in the suspect group continued to provoke the victim and his friends, according to the affidavit.

Police say the shooter took off on a scooter, while the two other teens ran off and were later found by officers near Northwest Seventh Avenue and Northwest Second Street. Those two were arrested; the arrest affidavits do not make clear what happened to the shooter.

The injured teen is expected to make a full recovery, according to police.

Investigators later showed witnesses a series of photo lineups. One witness identified one of the suspects as being involved; another could not make any identifications. Police say surveillance footage captured the entire incident and showed the two suspects wearing the same clothes they had on at the time of their arrests.

One of the suspects agreed to speak with police without a lawyer present and gave a recorded statement after being read his rights.

At least one teen is charged with attempted murder.

This story was originally published May 3, 2025 at 12:30 PM.