Jimena Tavel, Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
Miami Herald
(TNS)
Chaos broke out Monday evening after bystanders witnessed two groups having a dispute before spraying a barrage of bullets along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, tragically ending Memorial Day festivities for thousands in the area and leaving nine people hospitalized.
Here’s a breakdown of what we know — and don’t know — so far:
Have police tracked down any suspects?
Hollywood Police officers are still investigating who was involved in the gunfire, and why. Deanna Bettineschi, a police spokeswoman, has only pointed to a dispute between two groups that escalated shortly thereafter.
Authorities have detained one suspect and are still looking for a second.
We don’t know much about the person detained, how many shooters participated nor how many guns they used.
Detectives are asking the public to email any photos and videos of the incident to [email protected] and [email protected].
How long will streets remain closed?
Hollywood Police Chief Chris O’Brien vowed to leave “no stone unturned” during the investigation. He noted “multiple” state and federal agencies are contributing to it, too.
Late Monday night, however, he couldn’t give a specific timeline. He only said the scene will “remain active for quite some time.”
Police repeatedly asked the public to avoid visiting anywhere near Johnson to Garfield Streets. As of 11 p.m. Monday, authorities had reopened North Ocean Drive but kept the broadwalk closed.
Drivers and pedestrians should expect traffic delays because of the crime scene into Tuesday.
What about the victims?
First responders already present at the beach because of the holiday and some bystanders immediately helped out the victims as soon as they were shot.
Eventually, the Hollywood Fire Rescue took them to Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood.
One of the victims was in surgery as of 10:30 p.m.; the others were already stable, said Bettineschi, the police spokeswoman.
She added the kids’ ages range from 1 to 17 years and the adults’ ages range from 25 to 65, but couldn’t break them down further. She also couldn’t share their genders.
As for other victims, police have set up a reunification center on the intersection of Johnson Street and the North Ocean bus loop for anyone trying to find a family member or their parked car.
©2023 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
