Two men were hospitalized following a violent encounter on the Palmetto Expressway near Miami Gardens, as a drive-by shooter turned the roadway into a crime scene, officials reported. The incident unfolded Sunday night when an unknown car pulled up next to the victims' white BMW sedan and unleashed a hail of bullets before fleeing the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol stated that the attack occurred eastbound near the Golden Glades Interchange. The driver, struck multiple times, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the median, while his companion suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, as per a statement obtained by NBC6. Both men were rushed to Aventura Hospital, where the driver's condition was listed as critical and the passenger's condition was stabilized.
In direct aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement shut down eastbound lanes of the 826, redirecting traffic to southbound I-95. The authorities are investigating the motive behind the shooting, contemplating if it resulted from an act of road rage or was a deliberate hit. Ongoing investigations attempt to untangle this sudden eruption of violence that shattered the night.
No arrests have been made in a connection with the incident, and the law enforcement officials are appealing to the public for information. Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers can be reached at 305-471-8477, and callers may remain anonymous. Details remain scarce, and police continue to search for the shooter, according to information shared by Local10. The community is left to grapple with the aftermath as two of its own lie in hospital beds, victims to the yet unsolved violence that disrupts the flow of life on the expressway.
