Miami Police detectives are investigating multiple shootings that occurred over the weekend, and school officials are expressing their concern over the violence.
The death of 15-year-old Alder Hill was just one of three shootings Saturday night within blocks and hours of each other.
The first happened just before 8 p.m. A man was shot and critically injured at 19th and Northwest 2nd Court.
15 minutes later, Hill was shot and killed near Miami Northwestern Senior High School. He's a second generation victim to gun violence.
"He was my friend's son and he passed like four years ago and his name was Quin Quin. Now we're out here last night and that's his son. It touches us like real hard," said Kandi Candidate, friend.
Candidate would see Alder every day, riding his bike. That's what he was doing when he was gunned down, and Candidate believes Alder knew his killer.
"If he felt he was fearing for his life, he would not be out here riding on a bike," Candidate said.
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The glow of police lights and crime scene tape is a familiar scene in some sections of Miami streets, which have become a killing field, especially for school-aged kids.
"Over the past year alone, we've had 64 students or school-aged kids in Miami-Dade shot. 21 of them died. If this is not a crisis, I don't know what it would be," said Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of MDCPS.
Because of that, Carvalho is doing what he can to protect his students.
"I have directed my high school principals to keep the buildings open late, because the kids don't want to go home. They don't want to return to their communities. This is the safe haven they feel most comfortable and most protected in," he said.
The third shooting and second murder happened in the 700 block of 65th Street. 21-year-old Jaquan Leonard died at the hospital. He wasn't a student but Carvalho calls it the latest reminder that the situation in the streets is critical.
"It took a 7-year-old boy from Richmond Heights for people to recognize how bad this has gotten. I hope that death wasn't in vain," Carvalho expressed.
If you have any information about these shootings, you're urged to call police immediately.
