MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A man and woman were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center after being injured in a shooting Sunday night outside the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, police said.
Miami Beach police said the woman, identified as Mona Founceha, 27, of Aventura, was shot once and was listed in stable condition. The man, identified as Victor Young Jr., 33, of Oakland, California, was shot multiple times and was initially listed in critical condition. He is now listed as stable, police said.
Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said Young is believed to have gotten into an argument with the gunman moments before the shooting. He said detectives do not believe Young and Founceha knew each other.
"It's kind of scary," George Sakellis, who was staying at the hotel, told Local 10 News. "I don't know. We're not from around here. We came from Baltimore, so it's kind of freaky."
Police said the victims were shot in the arrivals valet parking ramp just before 9 p.m. Police said they ran into the lobby of the hotel toward the departures ramp for help after the shooting.
A hotel guest told Local 10 News that she heard five to seven gunshots while lying in bed. She said she got up to find out what was happening, but was told by hotel staff to stay in her room.
Police shut down nearby roads while they searched for the gunman with the help of a police helicopter and K-9 units.
"At this point, we're looking for one black male subject who fled the scene on foot, and that's why we have such a large perimeter," Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said.
According to an incident report, witnesses told detectives that they saw two men running from the scene.
A motive for the shooting was not immediately known.
"The hotel's security and management team responded immediately and is assisting the Miami Beach Police during the ongoing investigation," Fontainebleau president and COO Philip Goldfarb said in a statement. "Our top priority is the safety and security of our guests and team members. The hotel is open and continues to operate as usual."
Sakellis said guests were unable to pick up their cars from valet for some time after the shooting.