SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - The older sister of a 15-year-old boy who is fighting for his life following a shooting at a housing development in Southwest Miami-Dade is hoping police are able to catch the gunmen responsible, as a neighbor who rendered aid to the teen before first responders arrived at the scene opened up about his potentially lifesaving actions.
Speaking with 7News on Friday, the victim’s sibling described the harrowing moments before paramedics rushed her brother, Juan Miguel, to the hospital, Thursday night.
“I’m telling him everything is going to be OK, he’s going to come out, he’s going to make it,” said the sister, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the victim was behind the wheel of a Honda CR-V when he came under fire in the area of Southwest 283rd Street and 126th Court, at around 9:40 p.m.
“A male shot in the neck,” said a dispatcher in radio transmissions.
Juan Miguel’s sister said he was learning how to drive at the time.
“Laid there breathing for air; it’s scary,” she said.
The teen’s sister said she ran outside to find him covered in blood, then went back in to grab a towel.
Neighbor Jesus Turbides said he heard the shots go off as he about to cut his birthday cake.
“I hear the shots go off outside, the shots were ringing out, and I come outside and I see the neighbor’s car down the street full of bullet holes,” he said.
Turbides ran out to find Juan Miguel bleeding profusely. The neighbor, who is a medical assistant, said his training immediately kicked in.
“I grabbed a towel — I don’t even know where the towel came from — and I started applying pressure to his neck, and he started kind of fluttering his eyes and things like that,” he said.
Turbides kept applying pressure on the teen’s wound until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units took over and airlifted Juan Miguel to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where the patient underwent surgery.
“I thank God that he made it,” said his sister. “He’s a sweet little boy. He cares about everybody; he cares about his brothers, his sisters, his niece.”
Police said there was another person in the SUV that Juan Miguel was driving at the time of the shooting, but he wasn’t hurt. Detectives are interviewing him to find out what exactly happened.
Juan Miguel’s sister said she’s grateful that Turbides took swift action to render aid to her brother.
“God was with him … because when he went in the hospital, the doctor said that he wouldn’t live. He made it,” she said.
MDPD Detective Alvaro Zabaleta provided a description of the shooters.
“The preliminary description we have is that it’s two males. One is approximately 6 feet tall, dark clothing, and there was another male that was with them, he’s a little shorter, that was also wearing a black hoodie,” he said. “[They] fled running in an eastbound direction, in between these townhomes within the community.”
Family members told 7News Juan Miguel has been put on a ventilator after his lung collapsed. They’re praying for his recovery and praying that the gunmen on the run are served justice.
“You have to stop doing it. It’s not fair having a family suffering because you just want to play around with guns,” said his sister. “You’re hurting a family.”
If you have any information on this shooting or the gunmen’s whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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