A sudden burst of gunfire shattered the peace in a Southwest Miami-Dade neighborhood, leaving one man dead in a drive-by shooting. The fatal incident occurred in the 11300 block of Southwest 216th Street, where police were alerted to the scene by a ShotSpotter gunshot detection just around 2 p.m.
Miami-Dade Police arrived promptly to find a male victim with bullet wounds. Despite immediate attention from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the man, whose name has yet to be released, was pronounced dead. As per WSVN, details on the shooting remain murky, with police still in the dark regarding potential suspects or a getaway vehicle.
Witnesses and onlookers were overcome with grief at the tape-lined crime scene. NBC Miami reported that an anonymous neighbor spoke highly of the victim, "They took a good man, just know that. That man was a hard-working man, washed cars everyday for his family." The community's raw emotions were captured by Chopper 6's aerial footage, which showed a yellow tarp covering the body next to a silver SUV.
The deceased was later identified by friends as a local DJ who also worked at a nearby car wash. One friend, Darrell Collins, struggled to comprehend the violence, telling NBC Miami, "He doesn’t bother no one. I don’t know who would do this to him. And I don’t understand." Tactical police officers were seen canvassing what appeared to be an apartment complex close by, and while one person was taken into custody, their connection to the crime remains uncertain.
Long-time advocates against gun violence also came forward in the tragedy's aftermath. Romania Dukes of "Mothers Fighting for Justice" revealed her close ties to the victim and expressed her wretched familiarity with such loss, having lost her own son in the same neighborhood. "He didn't deserve to die," Dukes declared to NBC Miami. "The only way we can to receive justice and stop all this shooting is if we come together and say enough is enough." The police investigation continues in hopes of uncovering the perpetrator of this crime that has again called to party the community's need for answers and their yearning for peace.
