2 injured during shooting at restaurant in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood

Victims appeared to have been injured while trying to run away

MIAMI – Miami police are investigating a shooting that occurred Monday at a restaurant it the city’s Little Havana neighborhood.

The shooting was reported at La Portena just before 9 a.m.

Local 10 News reporter Ian Margol was told at the scene that two people were injured and the shooter ran off.

“I was picking up some food. I was here about a minute when everything happened,” one of the victims, Gregory Avile, said.

Avile was one of the people hurt during the shooting.

He says he was picking up some food Monday morning, when a discussion between several other people in the restaurant escalated.

“We don’t know what happened because everyone ran to the bathroom to try to protect themselves,” he said.

Avile suffered only a minor cut on his foot, but another man was taken to the hospital -- also with injuries to his feet.

A witness said the shooter ran off soon after he opened fire.

Shooting reported at Little Havana restaurant

“Every week, it’s the same story!” Albert Borjas, who lives next door, said.

Borjas says that while he didn’t hear the shooting, he isn’t surprised it happened.

“This place always has problems,” he said. “They break bottles and there’s always drunken people and there’s knife fights -- all kinds of things going on over here.”

At this point, there’s no word on why the shooter opened fire.

Anyone with further information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.