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Four young men were shot in the Liberty Square area of Liberty City, Miami police said. Two are dead, including a 17-year-old boy, according to the Miami Herald.
The Herald reports that the shootings ended the lives of Rickey Dixon, 18, and Kimson Green, 17, accordin gto Miami police.
Police said that the other two men were being treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Police are still looking for the shooter, noting that there is possibly more than one.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Four People Were Gunned Down as they Sat on the Lawn Outside of an Apartment Building
Liberty City shooting victims mourned at memorial amid search for gunmen t.co/K1syFeOC2X
According to the Herald, “the four [victims] were gunned down as they sat on the lawn outside a row of one-floor apartments at Northwest 63 Street and 13th Place. The gunman — or gunmen, plural; police weren’t sure — got away, and no one seemed certain if he was in a car or on foot.”
They aren’t sure if the shooting is gang related or not. Investigators said the assailants fired up to 25 shots and took off, according to WSVN.
“It is believed that there are multiple shooters, but we cannot confirm an exact number,” said Miami Police spokeswoman Kiara Delva.
According to the Herald, one victim was dead when police reached the scene just after 2 p.m., the other died later at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
2. The Shooting Came One Week After a 4-Year-Old Girl was Shot and Killed
Long live #NylaJones 💕rise in peace angel. Saddest thing about this picture is I took it on Thursday and just 2 days later #senselssgunviolence hits home again.This community needs #healing, their programs need #funding, their cries need to be heard. #STOPSHOOTING #LibertySquare
Sunday afternoon’s shooting occurred at Northwest 63rd Street and 13th Avenue, two blocks south of where 4-year-old Nyla Jones was fatally shot last week on March 31.
“We were just over here last week marching for Baby Nyla,” one woman told the Herald. A makeshift memorial of flowers and stuffed animals was still standing Sunday, less than two blocks away from the crime scene.
3. Many Neighborhood Residents Blame the Recent Shootings on Escalating Gang Violence
Nyla’s shooting was the result of a family dispute, but community activists in the area said that Sunday’s shootings were part of an escalating wave of violence between street gangs in Liberty Square and the nearby Brownsville neighborhood, according to the Herald.
“I’m sure it was retaliatory for something that happened in Brownsville,” said Tangela Sears, the founder of Miami-Dade Parents Of Murdered Kids. “These groups call themselves gangs, and they fight group against group, territory against territory.”
“We don’t know if this was a vindictive act,” said Delva. Delva also added that the four “young males” were sitting down outside a home in Liberty Square when the shots rang out.
4. One of the Victims – a Sophomore in High School – was about to be Inducted into the National Honor Society
Live on #Periscope: Students at Miami Northwestern walk out of school to protest fatal shooting of two teens over the weekend in Liberty City. WATCH: t.co/UUXQRCpSdv
One of the victims, a 10th grader, died from bullet wounds Sunday. He was about to be inducted into the National Honor Society on May 9, an achievement his former teachers touted when they spoke to reporters Monday morning.
“He’s a great leader. Never a follower,” said Shakeita Gunder, one of the student’s teachers, according to the Herald. “An A-B student.”
According to the Herald, Valencia Woodbine, a writing teacher at the school, said he had a strong work ethic in school, even on the weekends. “He ranked up all the energy in the Saturday academy,” she said. “He worked so hard.”
One 12th grade student remains in the hospital, reports the Herald.
5. Police Officers are Called “So Often” that they Know Many in the Neighborhood
Two people are dead, two others were injured following a shooting in Liberty City Sunday afternoon.
Residents of the neighborhood gathered together, anxious to find out if their loved ones were among the victims. One middle-aged woman answered her ringing cellphone, listened a moment, and shrieked in anguish, the Herald reports.
“We know everyone out here because we’re here so often,” said one police officer, as he knocked on doors, according to the Herald.
“Oh my God, it was him! Oh my God, it was my baby!” she cried.
“Every time this happens, we just say OK and walk away,” one woman told the Herald. “But it’s not OK. Nothing is OK about this situation.”