Miami Beach, FL – Two separate shootings that occurred early this morning has caused much speculation and chaos as confirmation has come in that three officers were injured, 4 other bystanders shot and injured, and one suspect dead. During both shootings a vehicle was used as a weapon leaving police to open fire
One shooting occurred on 14th Street and Washington Ave., an area where many people including us frequent when in South Beach. The second shooting was when a car refused to stop and was seen firing shots on Collins Avenue, between 13th Street and 14th Street.
It is real shocking and crazy because there are literally hundreds and thousands people down here to celebrate the Memorial Weekend. What’s even more crazy, is that they have a live recording of the shooting.
According to WSVN.com—-Authorities are investigating multiple shootings that left one dead and several bystanders injured on South Beach.
Police
said two shootings occurred on Collins Avenue, between 13th Street and
14th Street, and another occurred on Washington Avenue and 14th Street.
Police
said the first shooting happened around 4 a.m. Monday. Exclusive home
video shows police firing on a black Mercedes that came to a complete
stop after crashing into several vehicles on the street. Miami Beach
Police Chief Carlos Noriega said, “Several vehicles along the way were
struck by the offender, countless vehicles at this point, as well as
erratic driving and reckless driving on sidewalks, and I believe he
struck one individual officer as well.”
Police have confirmed that
the subject inside that vehicle was fatally shot. Officers said they
forced to fire because they were faced with deadly force, since the
suspect was using the vehicle as a deadly weapon against police.
Officials
said four innocent bystanders were shot and transported to the hospital
with non-life threatening injuries. According to police, three officers
also suffered minor injuries.
Another shooting occurred about an
hour later. According to Miami Beach Police, a driver tried to run over
several police officers. “That individual, with preliminary information,
came directly at several officers, a couple corrections officers, and
the officer fired a weapon,” said Noriega.
The driver was arrested. No one was injured in this particular incident.
Officials
said large crowds of people celebrating Memorial Day weekend were in
the street when the shots rang out. Party-goers panicked and crowds
dispersed as they ran and sought shelter behind buildings. “We were just
walking, going to our hotel, we saw a drive-by going by. We ducked
down,” one witness said. “The police came out with their guns and they
started shooting.”
According to city officials, they are
constantly considering ways to make Memorial Day weekend safe for the
hundreds of thousands who take to the beach. “There have been some
concerns about Memorial Day weekend in general and what it does to our
city. Every year, we reconsider the weekend and take a look at how we
can make it a better and safer weekend, and we will do the same thing
again for this year,” said Miami Beach City Manager Jorge Gonzalez.
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