WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Officials have lifted a lockdown at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade, hours after, they said, what may have been a gunshot went off near the facility, Sunday morning.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department reported what sounded like a gunshot near the prison, just before 10 a.m. They said an exterior window in the lobby was shattered.
The facility was then placed under lockdown for hours.
A visitor at the prison told 7News he feels lucky he wasn’t there when the incident occurred. “It’s crazy, and it’s that kind of time,” said Gene Harris.
“His son is in there, and they don’t know what’s going on there,” said fellow visitor Milton Ulloa. “We just want to make sure he’s all right.”
Prisoners were rerouted to another facility, and visitors said they were turned away with little to no information. “The office stopped us before we got to the entrance,” said Ulloa. “They said to come back in eight to six hours.”
“They told me that there was an emergency. Everything is closed, and they’re not letting anybody in,” said bail bond agent Monica Paz.
7News cameras captured shattered glass while crews cleaned up the lobby. Witnesses took photos of the broken window.
Police are investigating whether it was a bullet that shattered the window.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
“A lot of evil going on. Wouldn’t put nothing past them,” said Harris. “You just have to keep praying up.”
Miami-Dade Corrections released a statement that reads, “The Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department is committed to the safety and security of its institutions and employees. We are working collaboratively with the Miami-Dade Police Department and other local law enforcement to investigate this matter.”
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