Miami police say two men were shot around 12:40 a.m. near Second Avenue and 60th Street. The gunfire disrupted neighbors overnight and forced several businesses to remain closed, with crime scene tape blocking their entrances.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she heard a flurry of gunshots early in the morning and people scrambling for cover.
“I saw people trying to go toward… there was a man on the ground and someone on the phone, apparently calling for help,” the neighbor said.
Eddy Hagan said he heard several loud bangs and immediately recognized them as gunfire.
“I was scared to go outside. There were a lot of people in the street, and it was frightening because I knew what that was,” Hagan said.
Miami police have not said what led to the shooting. Second Avenue was closed from 59th to 61st Street all morning as crime scene investigators processed evidence.
Christopher Bedard was supposed to come in that morning to prepare meals for addiction treatment centers, but the crime scene prevented him from entering the building.
“A cop told me, ‘Nope, you can’t work today,'” Bedard said.
Bedard said he didn’t get paid for missing work, and 90 people went without meals because of the shooting.
“Police blocked off the road. I had to wait outside for three hours. Basically, they didn’t get any breakfast this morning,” Bedard said.
Ashley Toussaint, a member of the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust, said the shooting is a setback for efforts to make the neighborhood an attractive place to live and work.
“We want businesses to come to Little Haiti. We want people to return. So when shootings like this happen, it’s a black eye for the community,” Toussaint said.
Miami police have not released the names of the victims and are still investigating the motive for the shooting.
