Police said one person was pronounced dead at the scene, and three males were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where a second victim died of his injuries. One of the dead was younger than 18 years old, police said.
Miami police said upward of 25 gunshots were heard in the area. They said there were several people gathered outside when someone pulled up in a car and started shooting.
Shirelda Huntley Thomas said her nephew, Ricky Dixon, was killed in the shooting. She said he was a senior at Northwestern Senior High School and was hanging out with his friends when he was gunned down.
“Ricky was a good kid,” she said. “We never had problems with Ricky.” The seemingly never-ending saga of gun violence has left some people in the community angry and helpless.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was at the scene Sunday, meeting with investigators and families of the victims, letting them know he is listening.
“Right now we’ve got to take care of the people living here,” Suarez said. “They’re living in fear and there are kids who have to explain to each other what death is at a very young age, and it’s not right.”
Last week, just blocks away from Sunday’s shooting, a 24-year-old man shot and killed his 4-year-old niece after an argument with her mother. Family members said Ronald Jones did not intend to kill the toddler, calling it an “accident.” Jones has since been arrested and is facing second-degree murder charges in the child’s death.
Since so many crimes involve young people, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he has made it a point to console and grieve with families of victims who fall within his school system.
“Marching is insufficient,” he said. “We need to remove guns, weapons from the streets of our community. We need to arrest and prosecute those who are committing those crimes. We can never allow this to become an accepted reality in our community.”
As Miami police detectives log another homicide, community activists are reminding the public that change will only happen if residents stop the so-called “no snitch” mentality.
“We want people to know they can come forth and their identity will be hidden,” Tangela Sears said. “No one will pass on the information, so that’s important the community knows that law is there and exists.”
