FLORIDA CITY, Fla. – Florida City Elementary School was placed on lockdown Tuesday after a fatal shooting was reported nearby, authorities confirmed.
According to Miami-Dade police, officers from the Florida City Police Department were notified about the shooting around 11:20 a.m.
Officers arrived in the 500 block of Northwest Seventh Avenue to find a man who had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the school at 364 NW Sixth Ave. was placed on lockdown as a precaution and the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Homicide Bureau will take the lead in the investigation, which is standard procedure during a death investigation.
Florida City Vice Mayor Walter Thompson said officials are working with the victim’s family.
“Family right now is very distraught,” he said. “Losing a child is not an easy thing.”
Thompson also said that they are pushing for more patrols in the neighborhood.
“Used to be a great neighborhood, but I’m going to be honest with you, this is one of the neighborhoods we are trying to police up,” he said.
No other details were immediately released.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call police of Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.