A man was killed and another victim and a gunman were hospitalized after a shooting at a business in southwest Miami-Dade that prompted a massive police response on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The shooting unfolded around 1 p.m. at a business in the area of Southwest 72nd Avenue and 45th Street where multiple warehouses are located.
Aerial video from Chopper 6 showed deputies with shields and guns drawn surrounding buildings in the area with rifles, taking cover behind vehicles.
Multiple deputies in tactical gear were seen running into buildings with weapons drawn, and at one point, a person was seen on the ground outside a building in a pool of blood.admitted to the allegations. He told deputies he was punishing the girls for getting in trouble at school.
Minutes later, footage showed several people as they appeared to be evacuated, running out of the building with their hands in the air.
Video posted on social media showed people standing inside a nearby business as multiple gunshots can be heard.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz confirmed there was a shooting at the business and that when deputies arrived, they found three people injured.
After the three people were taken to HCA Florida Kendall, officials discovered one of them was believed to be the shooter, Cordero-Stutz said.
HCA Florida Kendall Hospital confirmed they received three patients in critical condition.
The sheriff said there had been an ongoing family dispute and that the shooter arrived at the business and got into a confrontation then shot both victims, including his half-brother.
Deputies arrived and there was an exchange of gunfire, Cordero-Stutz said.
Sources initially told NBC6 the shooter was dead, but the sheriff said he was in critical condition.
Cordero-Stutz had said authorities went through buildings searching for more possible victims. A K-9 and several units were on the scene searching the area and going in and out of buildings.
“We want the community to know that right now there is no imminent threat,” Cordero-Stutz said.
Carlos Martinez, the owner of Edda’s Cake Company, one of the businesses in the area, said his sales manager witnessed the gunman pointing a handgun at the owner of a nearby car dealership.
“He’s telling the guy ‘don’t do it, don’t do it, you don’t have to do this,'” Martinez said, adding that the gunman had something covering his face. “He says ‘all I could see was his eyes and his nose.'”
Martinez said a female deputy arrived but was apparently not aware it was a gun situation.
“My sales manager screams out, ‘he’s got a gun!’ Apparently the shooter then turns around and is pointing the gun at the cop and talking to the cop, can’t hear anything, but I guess he turns back to the owner and shoots the owner I believe twice,” Martinez said. “The police officer takes off, the shooter grabs a rifle…and starts shooting towards wherever the cop was. And so I don’t know, and then everyone went inside and all the sudden they started hearing all kinds of gunfire.”
Witness Taryn Leighton said she was coming back to work from lunch when authorities started passing her on the road.
“So I just moved to the side and figured oh, there’s probably an accident of some type,” she said. “Instead, I saw lots of people pulling out tactile gear and armor, and I immediately pulled into the parking lot across the street.”
The sheriff’s office said that Southwest 70th to 75th avenues were closed from Southwest 40th to 48th Street as a result of the shooting.
The community was urged to stay out of the area and seek alternate routes.
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Source: nbcmiami
