Authorities are investigating an apparently random murder-suicide shooting at a gas station in Dania Beach that left a child and the gunman dead and sent a third person to the hospital late Thursday night.
The shooting took place just after 11 p.m. at a 7-Eleven in the 800 block of Stirling Road, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said.
Deputies who responded found three people at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds. Two people, including the child who was believed to be 11 or 12 and an adult male, were pronounced dead at the scene.
A third person, another man, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
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BSO investigators said it's believed a man, identified as 29-year-old Darren Rosenthal, opened fire on another man who was in a vehicle in the store's parking lot.
Rosenthal then entered the store and fired shots at the child, killing him. The boy was said to be in the store buying ice cream.
Rosenthal then fatally shot himself.
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Officials haven't released the identities of the two victims. But the boy, a student at Nur Ul Islam Academy, was identified by the school as Syed Naabigh Ali. The school was holding a funeral prayer in his honor Friday evening.
It was unknown how many people were in the store at the time, but no other people were injured.
A witness who said he was inside the store at the time watched the entire crime unfold.
“A guy came into the 7-Eleven and before he walked into the store he shot somebody in the neck and then he walked in and started shooting," Maximo Limas said. "He killed an 11-year-old boy and then he just killed himself. He shot him in the head once and then on the floor he went pow pow again and then he just took out himself.”
BSO officials said the motive for the shooting was unknown, but don't believe Rosenthal knew the victims.
"At this point detectives do not believe there is any connection between the gunman and the victims, this does appear to be a random act," BSO spokesman Carey Codd told reporters at a news conference Friday. "There does not appear to be a connection between the two victims."
Detectives were at the scene throughout Friday morning and had the white van that was outside the gas station closed off by crime scene tape. The van was later towed from the scene.
Drivers had been advised to avoid the area for much of the morning rush hour as Stirling Road remained closed in both directions.
No other information was immediately known. Officials said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remained under investigation.
"This is a very sad and tragic incident that occurred," Codd said. "There is still a very active investigation ongoing."
Check back with NBC 6 for updates.
