OPA-LOCKA, FLA. (WSVN) - A 14-year-old boy remains hospitalized and a second 14-year-old headed home after, witnesses said, they were ambushed and shot in a gated community in Opa-locka in the overnight hours, leading police to take several people into custody.
7News cameras captured Opa-locka Police cruisers at the scene of the shooting at the Mirage at Sailboat Cove, located along Northwest 142nd Lane, off 143rd Street, early Tuesday morning.
Eddie Mills, the father of one of the victims, spoke with 7News hours later. He said masked men forced their way inside his townhome, at around 2:30 a.m.
“They banged on the door, and when somebody opened the door, they snatched [the teens] out of the house,” he said.
It was then that, Mills said, the gunmen opened fire.
“[My son] was shot in the face, he was shot, two in his leg, two in his thigh, yeah, I heard he was ambushed,” he said.
Opa-locka Police confirmed that officers responded to reports of gunfire at the complex and found two juveniles suffering from gunshot wounds.
“We have two pediatric patients shot. Uh, one patient has two shots in the leg, other patient has a shot to the buttocks and the face,” a first responder told a dispatcher in radio transmissions.
Mills said he wasn’t at the home when it happened.
“Somebody just broke in the crib, and shot up my son and his friends,” he said.
The concerned father said that while his child remains at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the other teen has since been released.
The mother of the teen released from the hospital told 7News that he is recovering at home.
While detectives did not confirm the witnesses’ account of the incident, they did say they detained several people who attempted to flee the scene and recovered multiple weapons in a car possibly related to the shooting.
A light green sedan was later seen being towed away from the scene on a flatbed tow truck with a police escort. Its connection to the shooting is unknown.
As for Mills, he is seeking the public’s help after the shooting.
“If you see something, say something, man. Y’all put the guns down man, ’cause people [are] really getting hurt around here behind these guns, and senseless murders and senseless shootings,” he said.
Opa-locka Police’s Criminal Investigation Division continues to investigate the incident. They have not provided any information about the people they have in custody.
As of Tuesday night, officials have not announced an arrest.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Opa-locka Police at 305-953-2877 or 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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