MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The recent spate of gun violence involving children -- both behind and in front of the gun -- is causing reaction from a top Miami-Dade police official.
"When 30 kids being killed for the last 10 years every year, you know, something's wrong," Director Juan Perez said.
Perez's comments come as an 18-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy, Cedrick Pernell, were shot within hours of one another Tuesday.
Cedrick's three accused attackers led police on a chase that ended with a crash.
Eric Williams, 17, and two men have been arrested on an attempted first-degree murder charge in connection with Cedrick's shooting.
"In order to combat these types of incidents, in order to really dig deep down into the root causes, we need the community with us," Perez said.
Then there is Anthony Ellison, 13, who needs around-the-clock care after he was shot Saturday night in his southwest Miami-Dade County home during a sweet 16 party.
In that case someone sprayed the crowd with a high-powered weapon, leaving six people, between the ages of 12 to 20, injured.
Three people have been arrested in that shooting, thanks to community tips.
This type of community and police relationship was highlighted on Friday during Local 10's "My Future, My Choice" town hall meeting, during which families of recent crimes asked for solutions.
"It has to be a holistic approach to continuing to solve this problem. We have to look into what causes these kids to pick up a gun in the first place. What are they missing in their lives? What mentorship isn't there," Perez said.
On Wednesday night, a coalition of leaders from Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Department of Children and Families, educators and parents gathered at the South Dade Regional Library to discuss youth violence.
The meeting was met with a good amount of community support, all striving for a better outcome.