MIAMI (WSVN) - Police are searching for two men who robbed a woman in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, then shot her neighbor as they were fleeing.
City of Miami Police and Fire Rescue units responded to the scene near Southwest Ninth Court and 10th Street, at around 3:40 a.m., Saturday.
The robbery victim, Norma Rosell, said she had just come home after having spent her birthday in the company of loved ones.
“It’s my birthday, or it was my birthday, and I went to the art gallery of my friends after I went to my son’s house,” she said. “I came up, and I came down to get the cake that my son gave me.”
It was at point that, Rosell said, two men wearing hoodies approached her.
“Next thing I know, I turn around, and these two hooded black men — very dark, all black, black hood covering most of the face — they yanked my thicker chain,” she said.
The victim said she tried to fight the men off.
“I tried to hit them, and I screamed,” she said.
Rosell said the commotion drew the attention of her neighbor.
“Then he tried to do something. I tell him to stop, and I tried to do something, and one of the men had a rock, and then, when they start running, they shot at him,” she said.
Witnesses said the bullet struck the neighbor in the shoulder.
Paramedics transported him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition. He is expected to be OK.
Rosell said the robbers got away with her necklace and purse.
“They took everything I had in that purse,” she said.
As police continue to search for the robbers, Rosell said the frightening ordeal left her with a ruined birthday celebration, but also thankful her brave neighbor survived.
“They have no boundaries. Just because my neighbor screamed, they shot at him,” she said. “They could have killed him. This is really bad.”
If you have any information on this incident, 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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