MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have detained a man in connection to a Miami Gardens shooting of three family members who were searching for a missing 15-year-old girl.
Miami Gardens Police said they took the 21-year-old William Brice into custody, Friday night. At last update, he was being questioned by detectives.
According to investigators, the mother, aunt and uncle of 15-year-old Janiya Johnson were searching for the teen near Northwest 23rd Avenue and Bunche Park Drive when they were shot at around 9 a.m., Friday.
Officials said Brice, who had been living out of his car, opened fire on the family.
Witnesses reported hearing an argument before the gunshots.
“You just heard people arguing, and the next thing you know, you just heard pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, and that was it,” said Elliot Taylor.
7Skyforce flew over the scene, where two of the victims could be seen being loaded onto a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter. They were transported to Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The family said Johnson is wearing an ankle monitor, and it led them to a home in the area where they were shot.
“We don’t know if the suspect is connected to the missing girl, but we believe that they were at some point together at this location,” said Miami Gardens Police Officer Carlos Austin. “There are a lot of empty homes here in Bunche Park, abandoned homes.”
Police cancelled the search for Johnson after she was safely found, Saturday.
“We need change,” Taylor said. “We need to keep these guns off these streets, so people can live a normal life.”
“[Brice] was armed and dangerous. I mean, for someone to come out and shoot three people, with disregard for safety, disregard for life or anything like that is someone who needs to be taken off the streets as fast as possible, and we did it today, with everyone’s help,” said Austin.
Officials believed Johnson’s ankle monitor had not working properly at the time.
Police said no charges have been filed yet against Brice.
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