A man was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition following a shooting that occurred earlier today in Southwest Miami-Dade. The incident, which took place around 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Southwest 232nd Street, caused significant delays during the morning commute, prompting the closure of a major thoroughfare, as was reported by NBC Miami.

Miami-Dade Police officers arrived on the scene to discover a man with gunshot wounds inside a gray sedan. In an attempt to more quickly secure eyewitness accounts and potentially expedite the capture of suspects, officials had to shut down both directions of U.S. 1, between 224th Street and Southwest 232nd Street; the Miami Herald noted the road was still closed into the morning hours.

Details about the shooting emerged from a witness at the scene, identified by his first name, John, in a NBC Miami report. According to John, he heard approximately five gunshots before noting a car "slowly coming north here on U.S. 1." John recounted how bystanders attempted to intervene, saying, "People were trying to bust the windows... to see what's going on. And [the person inside is] the one who got hit."

Meanwhile, aerial footage captured by investigators highlighted visible bullet holes in the front windshield of the sedan. The stark realities of violence on the streets made visceral as John expressed his concern to NBC Miami, "Screeching, banging, metal against metal, and next thing you know, I hear even the helicopter coming. A car full of bullet holes, man," he said. "We’ve got to stop the violence out here."

As detectives continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the shooting, authorities urged anyone with knowledge to contact Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade & the Florida Keys. No suspects have been publicly identified, and the investigation is ongoing. The police have not released any additional information regarding the incident.