Overtown Blood Bath Claims Its First Life
One of the 12 people who was shot during a birthday party over the weekend has died
By STEVE LITZ, BRIAN HAMACHER and TODD WRIGHT
Updated 4:08 PM EST, Tue, Jul 7, 2009
The senseless shooting in Overtown over the weekend has claimed its first life.
Michelle Young was pronounced dead Tuesday after being hit by at least three of the dozens of bullets fired into a crowd of people early Monday morning. Young, 21, was a student at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee and was in South Florida visiting family while on college break.
Two others remain in critical condition as police still hunt for the reportedly three gunmen who opened fire on the crowd, which was celebrating a birthday and the Fourth of July.
The shooters sent the crowd into utter chaos, with a woman getting hit by a car in the mad scramble to flee the barrage of bullets just before 1 a.m.
Witnesses at the scene said two groups of men, possibly gang members, got into a dispute and opened fire on each other, though police have yet to confirm this detail.
"They just started shooting out of nowhere and I just laid flat on the ground," said one female witness, who didn't want to be named.
All of the victims were being treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Victims piled into ambulances and cars to go to the hospital, witnesses said. Many were just teenagers.
Currently, four victims are in good condition, two are in critical and police have not released the condition of four others. One man has been treated and released.
Relatives gathered at the hospital to check on wounded family members and question why this could have happened.
"I don't know what's happening to the world today, people are crazy...everybody's got a gun," said Rodney Thompson, a relative of one of the people shot.
"She just was at the wrong place at the wrong time," said Jerome Wiley, whose niece was shot in the chest at the party.
Police officers in the area heard the shots and immediately responded, but the suspects got away. One suspect was reportedly wearing a trench coat. One AK-47 and two pistols were found at the scene, police said.
"They have no sense of human life...they are shooting into a crowd," said Detective William Moreno with the Miami Police Department. "They have no respect for life and we definitely need to bring them into custody."
Police are still investigating at the scene as of this morning. Anyone with information is urged to call the City of Miami Police Department’s Homicide Unit at (305) 579-6530 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
First Published: Jul 6, 2009 5:26 AM EST
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