A 4-year-old boy in Tamiami is on the mend after a harrowing incident Saturday night where he was shot inside his home. According to NBC6, the child was inadvertently caught up in a dispute between two adults which ended in gunfire. As the confrontation escalated, one individual discharged a firearm, and the young boy was struck by a stray bullet while reportedly inside an adjacent house.
The two individuals involved in the altercation fled the scene in an unknown direction, leaving the community and authorities in search of answers. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue teams hurriedly responded to the emergency, swiftly transporting the child to a nearby hospital in critical, but stable, condition. The boy, who was on his iPad at the moment of injury, is anticipated to fully recover, police added.
Crime scene tape cordoned off part of the street in the residential neighborhood of Southwest 127th Court, where 7News captured the heavy police presence following the incident. A neighbor, speaking through a translator to 7News, recounted the sound of gunfire before police arrived. "When I got closer to see what happened, police arrived, went inside and came out with a child who had been shot," he said.
Investigators have kept tight-lipped about the finer details of the case as the investigation continues. The boy was listed in stable condition following the incident at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, according to officials. There remains a gap in public knowledge concerning who the individuals involved in the argument were, with police yet to disclose if there is any known relation between them and the victim, or how they fled the scene.
Residents of the area were reportedly seen standing nearby, as the victim's family talked with officers. There has been an active appeal for witnesses as law enforcement continues their search for the people who were implicated in the argument and shooting. With the tension still palpable in the neighborhood, police have yet to confirm if the suspected shooter poses a further threat to the community.
