Miami

Miami Police Investigating Whether Shootings Involving Kids Are Connected

City of Miami Police investigators are looking into whether there's a connection between three recent shootings, including one that left a 10-year-old boy dead.

Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes said the shooting could be related because they happened in close proximity to each other.

"Overwhelmed? We're not overwhelmed. Unfortunately we're prepared to handle these incidents," Chief Llanes said Tuesday.

Last Tuesday night in Overtown, 10-year-old Marlon Eason was playing outside when he was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting. A few hours earlier in Allapattah, 16-year-old Richard Hallman was killed in a shooting.

And Monday night in Allapattah, a 16-year-old was shot in the upper body. He's still recovering.

So far, there are no suspects. And what makes the shooting so awful is that the victims are kids, Chief Llanes said.

"There are components to different shootings. Some are gang related, others drug related. I think as a society we have glorified violence to a dangerous extent," he said.

Llanes said it may be too early to tell if the two Allapattah shootings are related.

"There's still information coming in from the first shooting and information coming in from the second shooting, but can't say right now," Llanes said.

Police have surveillance video of two men carrying Hallman into the hospital. They want to question them, and Llanes said working with the community is key.

"We have a large number of tips but we have to vet those tips to vet them into leads and work them," he said.

Meanwhile, a local church, New Beginning Ministries Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, has donated $1,000 to the already $3,000 reward for information leading to Eason's killer.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

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