CBS4 Source Reveals Details Behind Chaos After Miami Club Shooting
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Surveillance video taken near The Spot shows the chaos that ensued after gunfire erupted in the Miami club early Sunday morning, injuring more than a dozen people.
Sources are telling CBS4's Jim Defede that this shooting spree stemmed from a conflict between two young people at one of the high schools.
Sources told Defede that one person involved in the argument pulled out a gun and shot the other. He is in critical but stable condition and sources said he is from Norland High School.
"Anytime you hear so many lives are at risk in my community it's always awe-striking," said Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon.
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On that surveillance video, dozens of teens and young adults are seen running out of the club, at NW 7th Avenue and 64th Street, around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Paramedics treated patients on the sidewalk and street. In total, 15 people were shot, the youngest only 11-years-old.
Sources told Defede that the shooter fled and jumped into a white car and someone else inside the car continued shooting. A young girl who ran into the street because of the shooting was hit by a car and injured.
"No one wants to see a bunch of kids running around like this," said Miami Police Sgt. and spokesman Freddie Cruz. He told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "At any given moment we could have been planning 15 funerals."
"We need everyone's help with this," said Cruz. "We need the community to come forward and give any and all information, even a vehicle description so we can out the person or persons responsible behind bars. What has us worried is we don't even know the motive for this. We don't know if it was drug related. Could it have been a lover's quarrel?"
Sources told Defede that most of the youngsters were from Miami Gardens and Opa-locka. They told him while the club has a beer and wine license, liquor bottle were found behind the bar.
Another concern: were the youngsters violating the county's Juvenile Curfew Ordinance. Miami's Police Chief told CBS4's Maggie Newland that they were not violating the curfew because they had their parents' permission to be at the club and if children arrive at an event before 10 p.m., they are not in violation of the curfew.
Police said The Spot is actually licensed as a restaurant.
"We had no clue it was operating as a club other than the fact that when we start researching we figure it's a restaurant why are they a club?" said Police Chief Manuel Orosa.
Police Chief Orosa said The Spot wasn't able to handle the crowd or the incident.
"It's difficult when you have 100 people inside a supposed club, you only have four employees, one security guard, you're gonna get overwhelmed quickly. So part of that problem is the lack of personnel they had lack of screening for weapons and having kids and alcohol it's just a bad mix overall," said Chief Orosa to CBS4's Maggie Newland.
A total of 13 people were treated at Ryder Trauma Center, and the emergency rooms at Holtz Children's Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital. Of those 13, nine have been discharged and four remain hospitalized – a 15-year-old remains in in critical condition, the other three are in good condition.
"All the sudden I heard about 15 to 20 shots then again another 15 to 10, another 20 then like about 30," said a man named Prentice who heard the gunfire.
Some people familiar with the club said young people were allowed inside during the all ages party and that makes them even angrier.
"What was you thinking man? It's a kids' club what was you thinking shooting it up," said Shay, 30, who didn't want to give her last name. "It's just sad man, real sad, because it could have been me that was there just trying to get away."
"What was very surprising to the responders was that these were kids that were out at 1 o'clock in the morning in a club and this type of violence took place where a bunch of kids were gathering ... it's very disturbing to see that," said Captain Ignatius Carroll with Miami Fire Rescue.
Miami Police have not confirmed whether the club was serving the teens alcohol, but a few hours after the incident a table was seen outside set up with with a bottle of liquor and cups. CBS4 news Partner, The Miami Herald, also reported some of the club goers were drinking strawberry daiquiris.
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was furious to hear about the incident. He tweeted out "Can anyone tell me what in the world were young teens doing at a club that serves alcohol at 2AM? Parents please?"
Neighborhood resident Donald Wright told the Miami Herald the club's managers shouldn't be blamed. Wright, 45, said the parents of the teens and preteens at the club during the shooting are to blame for letting their kids out that late.
Although Commissioner Hardemon is unhappy about what happened, he says he doesn't want to see the place shut down.
"There's concern with the permit for them to properly operate as a club or whatever it is they're operating as. If there's trouble with that I think the city's position should be to have the correct credentials to operate how they wish to operate," said Hardemon.
Chief Orosa wants a thorough investigation to make sure The Spot is safe.
"If you are operating a club, make sure that you provide the safety for the patrons inside make sure nobody carries a gun inside make sure kids are not associated with alcohol while inside the place," said Orosa. "You can either have an adult club or a kid club but you can't have both it's just bad news."
Police say the club's owners are cooperating with their investigation, but CBS4 has been unable to reach them for comment and a phone number for the club is disconnected.
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(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)
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