3 people shot in Miami; shooter remains at large

Siblings among victims of Sunday morning shooting

MIAMI – Police are searching for a gunman who was involved in a triple shooting in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood that sent three people to a hospital.

It happened early Sunday morning outside an apartment complex near Northwest 70th Avenue and Northwest 59th Street.

Police said the gunman drove up to the complex and opened fire before taking off.

Two men and a woman were struck by bullets and rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center.

Betty Panameno identified the victims to Local 10 News as her brother, Jean Mendoza, 25, who was shot in the hand; her sister, Elba Panameno, 29, who was shot in the leg; and the siblings' brother-in-law, who was shot in the arm.

Elba Panameno and her brother-in-law remain at the hospital in stable condition.

Local 10 News spoke with Elba Panameno from her hospital bed, where she described what it felt like getting shot.

"All I felt was burning, like blood warmness," she said. "I lost a lot of blood. They had to give me a blood transfusion."

The mother of five watched in horror as her family members hit the ground.

"We just hear a couple of shots and everybody started scattering around, and I pushed my husband inside of the house, so I took the bullet so he wouldn't get it and I got shot in the leg," Elba Panameno said.

"My brother -- I thought he was dead," she continued. "I saw him on the floor and my brother-in-law got shot in the shoulder. We don't know why or who did it."

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


About the Authors:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.