Authorities in South Florida are seeking public help after two people died and at least 20 others were injured in a shooting outside a banquet hall early Sunday.
The shooting broke out in El Mula Banquet Hall in northwest Miami-Dade County near Hialeah, police said. The hall had been rented out for a concert. Three people rolled out of an SUV and opened fire on the crowd outside, said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III.
“I am at the location of another targeted and cowardly act of gun violence, in which over 20 victims were shot and unfortunately 2 died,” tweeted Ramirez. “These are cold-blooded killers who shot indiscriminately in a crowd and we will seek justice. My deepest condolences to the victims’ families.”
Camping World CEO and TV personality Marcus Lemonis said on Twitter that he was offering a $ 100,000 reward “to help the authorities in my hometown … arrest and convict the suspect (s)” .
Ramirez said the police were grateful for the reward offer.
“This is our community, we are stronger together,” said Ramirez. “We need our county to get information.”
Two people died on the scene, police said. Up to 25 people went to different hospitals for treatment. Family members and loved ones gathered outside the Jackson Memorial Emergency Room waiting for information
The police had not released the names of the victims by Sunday afternoon.
Angelica Green told Local 10 News that her 24-year-old son was shot in the stomach.
“He called us frantic and said he was shot, it hurts and he loves us,” said Green. “He said the boys came in with ski masks and hoodies and had just started shooting the crowd.”
No arrests were announced immediately, and the police asked the community for help and gathered surveillance materials looking for evidence.
The shooting occurred approximately 24 hours after one person was killed and six others were wounded in a passing gunfight in the Wynwood area of Miami, the Miami Herald reported.
“It is very difficult to stop a small number of people who want to go there and commit murder and we need all of us to stop it,” Ramirez told the newspaper. “We really have to work this summer to protect our children and the community.”
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis shared the mourning and said on Twitter that he prayed “for the recovery” of the victims and promised help from state authorities.
USA TODAY Opinion:After the shooting in San Jose: Confirm the new ATF chief to oversee the gun industry and save lives
The background story:We have been pursuing mass murders since 2006. Most of them happen at home.
“We are working with the local authorities to bring justice to the perpetrators. Justice must be quick and strict! “DeSantis tweeted.
Senator Shevrin Jones of the Democratic State said he wanted DeSantis to do more than just pray. He urged the governor to sit down with the Democrats to discuss meaningful ways to combat gun violence.
“Thoughts and prayers have been going on for years, and thoughts and prayers have done nothing in the Black Community – or any other community when it comes to gun violence,” said Jones.
But he admitted that Republicans refused to discuss the matter.
“Republicans don’t want to talk about guns. They think we’re trying to take their guns away from them. When they talk about guns being used for protection or hunting, you just know that terminology is different in certain communities, ”said Jones. “Some of these people use guns to kill. Some of these people use weapons to hunt people. “
Contributor: The Associated Press
