SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) — One teenager and a young woman are waking up in the hospital after falling victim to yet another case of gun violence in Southwest Miami-Dade.
According to Miami-Dade Police, 18-year-old Eddie Yoo was shot in the leg and a 20-year-old female was shot near the chest. The shooting occurred inside a home in a Southwest Miami Heights neighborhood, Thursday night.
Miami-Dade PD said both victims were airlifted to Kendall Regional Trauma Center in critical condition.
Neighbors said at least five gunshots were heard just before 10:30 p.m., Thursday, near Southwest 114th Court and 203rd Terrace in the South Miami Heights neighborhood. "And, next thing you know, you hear six shots," said neighbor Mark Reid.
"Yes, I was very afraid," said Maria Lomvana, who lives nearby. "I thought it was a firecracker, but it was gunshots."
"When I got the call, I was very upset," said neighbor Brenda Jones. "What’s the problem? Why people are shooting people? They don’t have nothing else better in life to do. Go to school, get a job, do something with your life."
Reid, who lives two houses away from where the shooting took place, said he witnessed a potential suspect fleeing the scene. "We saw a white car leaving the scene, but then we saw a guy on a bike taking off," he said. "Then, one of my neighbors said, that was the shooter, not the guys in the white car."
Reid said he knows the teenage victim, so when he heard the gunshots, he ran outside and found Yoo lying on the ground. "When I came out here to find out what’s going on, he was laying on the side telling me to pick him up because he was shot," he said.
Reid described Yoo as an ordinary teenager. "He was a typical teenager. You know, there’s always a lot of them out there hanging out doing their little thing, making noise, so it’s hard to distinguish who is who," he said. "So, you never know if it was someone that he was hanging out with that they were aiming at or if it was him, himself."
Meanwhile, both police and members of the community are asking the public to speak up, as the search for the shooter continues. "It’s like, somebody talk. Everybody do hush, hush, everybody scared to talk these days," Jones said. "Tell the truth."
Neighbors said they notice a pattern in these recent shootings. "What’s happening right now is not 40-year-old guys killing each other. Nineteen-year-olds, 18-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 16-year-olds," Reid said. "Somebody just got shot the other day, 12."
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.