NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two vans transporting school children and elderly citizens were shot at by a BB gun in Northwest Miami-Dade, Friday morning.
According to Miami-Dade Police, a private van transporting 14 Brownsville Middle School students and a van transporting senior citizens were both shot at near Brownsville Middle.
Jose Ruiz, the driver of the private van, said he was about to make a stop at the intersection of Northwest 24th Avenue and 49th Street when he heard the shots. He was on his way to drop off the students before school started.
The shots were aimed at the windows of both of the vans, causing them all to shatter. “Four impacts on my windows,” Ruiz said. “They got scared. I just told them nothing happened. We’re just gonna get to school. We made it.”
No one was hurt.
“Thank God that He was with us and nothing happened,” said Ruiz. “Only material damage.”
According to Miami-Dade Schools, Brownsville Middle School was placed on lockdown shortly after the shooting as a precaution. The lockdown was lifted just before 11 a.m.
Upon learning of the shooting, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho took to Twitter to express his concerns and sympathy.
Unacceptable tragedy averted. School bus hit by gunfire in Brownsville area. All students safe. The sanctity of children is violated again.
— Alberto M. Carvalho (@LAUSDSup) February 10, 2017
Shortly after, Carvalho visited the school to address the shooting.
“I believe we are living through a miracle,” explained Carvalho. “Four shots shattering the glass in this private van and not a single child hurt. This is an occurrence that cannot continue to happen. This was described to me, today, as a new normal that people are accepting more and more. It cannot become the new normal.”
The pattern of gun violence concerns the superintendent. “The sanctity was violated once again,” Carvalho said.
The students at Brownsville Middle expressed their concern to administrators and teachers, saying that the stretch of roadway next to the school is a danger zone. “I’ve been told it’s every morning when they go to school and every night,” said Brownsville Middle School Principal Ebony Dunn. “If you see something, say something.”
“Students come to this school, and they have to walk through a fire zone, where there’s indiscriminate shooting,” said T. Willard Fair, with the Urban League of Greater Miami. “Somebody ought to give us some names.”
A police perimeter was set up in the neighborhood near the scene, but the scene has since been cleared. “If we do not stand up, show up, speak up, this will continue to happen,” Carvalho said.
Investigators continue to search for the subject, or subjects, responsible. 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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