Shooter with paintball gun targets Russian tourists in South Beach

Shooter using paintball pellets flees in white Jeep Cherokee

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Two tourists from Russia said they were with a tour guide in Miami Beach when a person in a white Jeep Cherokee rolled down the window and targeted them.

The shooter had a paint gun. It sounded like fireworks. Serfei Kalyzhin, a woman named Anna Semiannikova, and the guide were walking on the sidewalk in busy South Beach.

“He realized what was going on and just grabbed me,” Semiannikova said, adding the attack was random and unexpected.

They ran and hid behind a nearby parking garage on Seventh Street. The hits burned and they weren’t sure what had shot them until they saw the paint on their clothes. They suffered bruises.

Miami Beach officers are searching for the shooter responsible for the terrifying attack.

“If a [paintball pellet] comes to my face or eye just imagine what it could have been,” Semiannikova said.


About the Author:

Bridgette Matter joined the Local 10 News team as a reporter in July 2021. Before moving to South Florida, she began her career in South Bend, Indiana and spent six years in Jacksonville as a reporter and weekend anchor.