Intense search underway for shooter who wounded 4 teens in southwest Miami-Dade

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Charlie Williams, the owner of Cool Bear Ice Cream Shop, said he was inside making ice cream when he heard gunshots shortly after 5 p.m., on Friday near south Miami-Dade County’s Cutler Bay.

Williams and his customers ducked for cover. Across the street from the shop, a drive-by shooter wounded four teenagers who were walking out of the Cutler Manor apartment complex.

A mother of five who lives in the complex, at 10875 SW 216 St., said she often fears for her kids safety. Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III responded to the crime scene.

“I will utilize all of the resources of the Miami-Dade Police Department to bring these individuals to justice,” Ramirez III vowed.

The youngest two victims are 13 years old, the other two are 15, according to Detective Alvaro Zabaleta, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Zabaleta said one of the injured was walking out of the complex and three others were behind him when the shooting happened.

“If the community is not moved by this, then you don’t have a heart,” Zabaleta said.

Fire Rescue personnel used a helicopter to airlift two of the four victims. Zabaleta said one of the 15-year-olds suffered a wound to the upper torso.

“Anyone with information on this case must do the right thing and come forward,” Ramirez wrote on Twitter.

There were surveillance cameras in the area. Police officers were asking anyone with information about the shooting to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

10 p.m. Friday report

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About the Authors:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba. 

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.