Watch: Security footage shows armed suspects exiting vehicle before Florida shooting that killed 2
HIALEAH, Fla. (NewsNation Now) — A manhunt continued Tuesday for three masked suspects who opened fire early Sunday outside a Miami banquet hall, killing at least two people and injuring 21 others.
Police Monday released a surveillance camera video that showed a white SUV driving into an alley at a strip mall housing El Mula Banquet Hall in northwest Miami-Dade County, near Hialeah.
The footage shows three people, armed and wearing ski masks, exit and reenter a white Nissan Pathfinder. One suspect was gripping a handgun while the other two carried what police described as “assault-style rifles.”
They began spraying bullets indiscriminately into the crowd, though police said the assailants had specific targets in mind. The banquet hall had been rented out for a concert.
“This is war at home. You never know what it feels like until you actually have something jerked away from you,” said Chris Harris, father of a victim.
In addition to the two fatalities, three others were hospitalized in critical condition. Police did not release the victims’ names, citing privacy laws.
The SUV used in the shooting was found Monday submerged in a canal about 8 miles east of the banquet hall. Police said it had been reported stolen two weeks ago.
“Targeting individuals and at the same time hitting innocent people that have nothing to do with their beef. Ruining families. Harming mothers who are here today,” said Miami Dade police director Alfredo Ramirez at a press conference.
One of the parents of the victims becoming emotional at a police press conference shouting, “you all killed my kid!”
Gun violence ushered in the Memorial Day weekend in South Florida when dozens of shots were fired outside another gathering in Miami’s Wynwood area. The shooting late Friday killed one person and injured six others.
Just several miles away on Miami beach, police are investigating another unrelated shooting that happened Monday night.
Investigators say they are questioning rapper “Dababy”, whose real name is Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, after two people were shot.
“Let me be clear. We will do everything we can. And use every resource available to bring these people to justice,” said Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.