Brian Hamacher

13-Year-Old Boy Shot, Airlifted to Hospital: Miami-Dade Police

A 13-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital after he was shot Monday night, making him the second child shot in a 24-hour period in southwest Miami-Dade, police said.

In both cases, the children did not reside in the area and were visiting with relatives when they were shot.

Eric Watson Jr., 13, was outside talking with friends in the 13600 block of Southwest 263rd Terrace when he was shot three times in the torso around 7 p.m., Miami-Dade Police officials said.

He was airlifted to Nicklaus Children's Hospital and was conscious and breathing, officials said. He was undergoing surgery at the hospital.

Before he was taken to the hospital Watson told police he was visiting his grandmother who lives in the area and was outside when he heard gunshots and tried to run for cover.

He realized he was shot and a witness ran and called for help, police said.

"The investigation is still preliminary, all of the facts haven't been gathered, we're still speaking to a witness on scene," Miami-Dade Police Det. Marjorie Eloi said. "Unfortunately the victim is undergoing surgery and we haven't been able to speak to him to determine what exactly happened or a motive in this incident."

The shooting comes just a day after a 7-year-old boy was killed in a drive-by shooting while he was inside a house in southwest Miami-Dade.

Amiere Castro, 7, was playing with toys inside the family room of a relative's home Sunday when a bullet fired from a car went through the front window, hitting him in the head.

On Tuesday, police announced the arrests of 19-year-old Dravein "Pop" Duke and 18-year-old Maxwell Trewin in connection with that shooting. Duke, the suspected gunman, turned himself in to police after the arrest of Trewin, the suspected getaway driver.

"It's becoming heartbreaking for us to continuously report children being shot at or losing their lives, so we're asking the community's help with whatever information that they have," Eloi said. "It's becoming a nightmare for us, we're human too, we have family, we have children. It's that call that you don't want to receive."

Anyone with additional information into the shootings is asked to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

Check back with NBC 6 for updates.

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