NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - An 8-year-old boy, a man and a woman were taken to the hospital after, police said, they were shot in a drive-by shooting in North Miami, Wednesday night.
The victims injured are recovering after the shooting, and residents have been left shaken up. The youngest victim is scheduled for surgery on Sunday.
North Miami Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the scene of the reported shooting near Northeast 128th Street and 12th Avenue, at around 9:45 p.m.
According to authorities, the boy, an 18-year-old man and 35-year-old woman were shot while they were sitting in a courtyard area. “The family was gathered right outside their apartment, when the vehicle drove by and multiple shots were fired,” said North Miami Police Commander Rafeal Estrugo.
The 8-year-old victim and his grandfather, Pierre Joseph, were playing with a basketball in the courtyard outside their home when shots rang out, hitting Joseph’s grandson in the leg. “Somebody passing with the car, shooting — bom, bom, bom,” said the grandfather.
Neighbor Jonathon Laurent was with his little brother when he opened the front door of his house to encounter his 8-year-old neighbor crying out in pain.
“They were knocking on the door and I opened it, and they laid the kid down there and his ankle was dangling from his feet and he is just bleeding in a pool of blood so we called 911,” Laurent said.
Dispatchers gave him instructions to quell the bleeding.
“I felt like I did the right thing, to open the door, and just lay him out there and provide towels, and just provide myself to him,” Laurent said. “Police told me to get a towel and wrap it around him, which I did, but he was still in so much pain and agony and just crying, so that was really rough to see.”
The scene was so shocking to bare, that Laurent took out his phone to take a striking picture as evidence.
The basketball the 8-year-old had been playing with at the time of the shooting remains on Laurent’s front lawn, Thursday afternoon.
Joseph said his grandson is still recovering in the hospital. He is expected to be OK. “His father is with him,” he said. “He talked with him. He said, ‘I’m OK, grandpa. I’m OK.'”
Joseph told 7News that he brought his grandson to Miami from Haiti two months ago. “I don’t know what happen,” said Joseph as he wiped away tears. “I bring him here for two months, for something to happen like that.”
Paramedics transported the victims to Jackson Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
“Any time that an incident involves children, it’s very, very difficult to … it’s a very difficult scene,” said Estrugo, “but we always do the best that we can to work on the subject information, suspect information and make an arrest.”
The boy will have surgery on Sunday, family members said.
Police said they are looking for a dark colored car that they believe the suspect or suspects were driving.
At this point, it remains unclear how the three victims are related, but authorities said they are expected to be OK.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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