A Florida City neighborhood was left shaken on Wednesday afternoon after a 15-year-old boy was shot in a drive-by attack. The shooting happened around 3:08 p.m. near Northwest Fifth Avenue, turning what should have been a normal afternoon into a scene of chaos and fear.
A Moment of Panic
According to witnesses, the teenager was walking along the sidewalk when a car suddenly pulled up. Someone inside the vehicle opened fire, and the young boy tried to run for safety. At one point, neighbors say the gun jammed, giving him a few precious seconds to escape, but the shooter managed to fire again, striking the teen in the leg.
A resident, whose home was hit by bullets, recalled how close the tragedy came to his own family. “My granddaughter had just been outside playing. It’s terrifying to think what could have happened if she was still there,” he said.
Rushed to the Hospital
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived quickly and airlifted the teen to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital as a trauma alert. Thankfully, he was conscious and able to talk to investigators. Officials have not yet released his condition, but family members are hopeful for his recovery.
A Disturbing Pattern of Violence
This shooting is the latest in a string of gun violence incidents affecting young people in Florida City. In the past few months alone, a 13-year-old boy was fatally shot while standing outside a home, and a 9-year-old boy was tragically killed in an apartment complex shooting.
Neighbors are frustrated and scared. “It feels like every time you turn around, another kid is getting shot,” one resident said. “We need to do something before another family loses a child.”
Police Need Your Help
Authorities are actively investigating this latest shooting and are urging anyone with information to come forward. If you know anything, you can report tips anonymously to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. There may be a reward for information leading to an arrest.
The community is left hoping for justice—and an end to the violence that keeps taking young lives.