In what has become a growing trend in the area, two Miami-Dade students were shot and rushed to the hospital after seperate incidents Thursday night.
Detectives said the first teen was struck near Northwest 53rd Street and 7th Avenue around 8 p.m. The Edison High School student was hit in the bicep and was listed in stable condition. The second victim, who police said is a 19-year-old, was shot in the head and the wrist.
The second shooting took place around 10:30 p.m. off NW 24th Avenue and 47th Street. Officers say the 16-year-old was critically injured when he was shot in the groin, hands and legs before being transported to Ryder Trauma Center.
Brian Zachery, 55, was also hit in that shooting, driving himself to Jackson Memorial with wounds to his forearm and buttock.
His girlfriend may as well be speaking for every crime victim with this plea.
"I hope you guys come forward because you never know how it is until it hits close to home,” Zachery’s girlfriend said.
Following both shootings, school superintendent Alberto Carvalho tweeted about yet another incident involving one of his students:
Local
Troubling Thursday night marked by heartbreaking shooting of two teenagers. Separate incidents striking at the soul of our community.#Enough — Alberto M. Carvalho (@MiamiSup) March 24, 2017
The two teens injured Thursday bring the total to 10 that have been shot in the last three weeks.
Superintendent Carvalho says the district's "Together for Children" initiative, a partnership with the county mayor to identify at-risk kids and intervene in their lives to prevent violence, can only work if the community really buys in and gets behind it.
“There's no reason, by the way, why teenagers are out on the street at midnight, ok, they shouldn't be, who's responsible for them? We're teaching the three R's in school, but who's teaching respect, responsibility, and restraint?" said Carvalho.
