An intensive manhunt for three killers continued for a third day Tuesday in Miami, a city on edge after a bold, drive-by shooting left two people dead and 21 people injured outside a banquet hall early Sunday.
On Monday, another drive-by shooting left two people wounded and an attempted robbery turned into a gunfight as Miami struggles to contain gun violence.
Also Monday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the Miami Herald that two people were the target of an attempted robbery in the area of 3101 North Miami Avenue, near a parking garage, according to preliminary reports from Miami police. All three were armed.
“It turned into a shootout,” the mayor said.
In the banquet hall shooting, police have released video they say show the three armed, masked gunman exiting a white Nissan Pathfinder. The men left the doors open to the vehicle and seconds later dash back into it and ride off. Police say the men used assault rifles and handguns to shoot at a crowd that had attended a concert at the hall.
The vehicle, which was reported stolen May 15, was found Monday submerged in a nearby canal. Police have revealed no clear motive but said the shooting apparently was linked to a rivalry between two groups.
"Our law enforcement teams ... are doing everything possible to bring those responsible for this weekend's violent acts to justice," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava tweeted late Monday. "And we will work harder than ever to break the cycle of gun violence & prevent the next tragedy."
How the shooting unfolded
The shooting erupted early Sunday near Hialeah at El Mula Banquet Hall, which had been rented out for a concert, police said. The suspects waited in the parking lot for up to 40 minutes before three people rolled out of the white Nissan Pathfinder and fired on the crowd outside.
Several people in the crowd were armed and returned fire, resulting in 23 people shot, two of whom died at the scene, police said. The victims have not been identified.
'Cowardly act':Two dead, more than 20 injured in Miami-area shooting
Cycle of violence roles on in Miami-Dade
Two people were shot in a drive-by shooting outside a North Miami home Monday afternoon, at least the sixth known instance of gun violence since Thursday, the Miami Herald reported. Video obtained by the Herald shows someone emerge from the backseat of a car with gun drawn, firing multiple shots before getting back into the vehicle, which speeds away. The Herald said one person was in critical condition with a gunshot to the chest and another was in stable condition after being shot in the leg. Also Monday, an attempted robbery turned into a shootout in Midtown Miami that left one man dead and another hospitalized, the Herald reported.
String of shootings an 'act of domestic terrorism'
Miami-Dade police director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III called the banquet hall attack a "cowardly act of gun violence" and promised to seek justice against "these cold blooded murderers."
County Commissioner Keon Hardemon said at a news conference that the shooting, and others in recent days, has had a chilling effect on the community.
"We have to be clear about what's happening in Miami-Dade County." Hardemon said. "These are acts of domestic terrorism."
'Acts of domestic terrorism':Details emerge in Miami-area shooting
Concert shooting draws hefty reward
Camping World CEO and TV personality Marcus Lemonis said on Twitter that he offered a $100,000 reward to help authorities "arrest and convict" the suspects.
The Miami division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives added $25,000 to the reward, Ramirez tweeted later, and Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers contributed $5,000, bringing the total to $130,000.
"This is our community, we are stronger together," Ramirez said. "We need our county to step up with information."
City, family feel the pain
Ramirez was interrupted during a briefing Monday by a tearful father of one of the victims killed during Sunday's shooting. Clayton Dillard pleaded for answers, shouting that someone killed my kid” as he was escorted away by officers.
"That's the pain that you see," Ramirez said after officers led the father away. "Together, all of us, we must work harder to bring justice to these families."
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