FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two teens were shot minutes apart in two South Florida cities with one teen succumbing to their injuries.
The shootings happened in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Tuesday night.
The victim shot in Fort Lauderdale was 17 years old and suffered at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to Broward Health Medical Center and appeared to be conscious with blood stained bandages on his face.
That teen is expected to make a full recovery.
The teen who was shot in Miami is said by family to be Isaiah Hernandez. He had just turned 17 in July and died shortly after arriving to Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center.
Police told 7News, the shooting in Fort Lauderdale happened just before 8 p.m. when they responded to reports of a person shot in the 200 block of Northwest 11th Court.
Details as to what led up to the shooting are still unclear as investigators work to identify the shooter.
Meanwhile, just miles away in Miami, fire rescue responded to the 3000 block of Northwest Sixth Street, just after 8 p.m., where another teen also came under fire.
“Response to a male patient with a gunshot, 3071 NW Sixth St., 16-year-old male with a gunshot,” said an operator on Broadcastify.
A neighbor recounted the moment she heard nearly a dozen shots ring out.
“I was here. I went inside when I heard 11 shots, tot, tot, tot ,” said the neighbor. “I run inside of the house and the back. I was afraid.”
A small crowd gathered soon after, outside of Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center, where staff worked to save the teen’s life. One woman told 7News it was her 16-year-old nephew who was shot.
Back in the neighborhood on Northwest Sixth Street, many are still trying to make sense of it all.
“Detectives are trying to see what was the motive in the shooting,” said Miami Police spokesperson Officer Kenia Fallat. “We have been able to speak to witnesses, but we have two people upstairs in our homicide office that we’re interrogating. We don’t know if the shooter knew this 17-year-old, but definitely it was a car that was seen fleeing from the area at a very high rated speed, shortly after the shooting.”
“I’ve lived here for 40 years. It’s never happened, never. It’s my first time,” the neighbor said. “All of the neighbors that live here say the same.”
The family of Hernandez told 7News that they will be holding a candlelight vigil to honor him on Thursday.
No arrests have been made as police continue their investigation.
If you have any information on these shootings, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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