A manhunt for multiple killers was underway in South Florida after gunmen opened fire outside a banquet hall early Sunday, killing at least two people and wounding more than 20, police said.
The gunfire erupted at the El Mula Banquet Hall in northwest Miami-Dade County, near Hialeah, police said. The hall had been rented out for a concert. Three people rolled out of an SUV and opened fire on the crowd outside, Miami-Dade police director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III said.
“I am at the scene of another targeted and cowardly act of gun violence, where over 20 victims were shot and 2 have sadly died,” Ramirez tweeted. “These are cold blooded murderers that shot indiscriminately into a crowd and we will seek justice. My deepest condolences to the family of the victims.”
Camping World CEO and TV personality Marcus Lemonis tweeted that he was offering a $100,000 reward “to help authorities in my hometown … arrest and convict the suspect/suspects.”
Ramirez said police were grateful for the reward offer.
“This is our community, we are stronger together,” Ramirez said. “We need our county to step up with information.”
Two people died at the scene, police said. As many as 25 people went to various hospitals for treatment. Family members and loved ones gathered outside the emergency room at Jackson Memorial awaiting information.
Angelica Green told Local 10 News that her 24-year-old son was shot in the stomach.
“He called us frantic, saying he had been shot, that it hurts and that he loves us,” Green said. “He said the guys came with ski masks and hoodies, and just started shooting up the crowd.”
No arrests were immediately announced, and police were asking the community for help and gathering surveillance footage in the search for evidence.
The shooting took place about 24 hours after one person was killed and six others wounded in a drive-by shooting in the Wynwood area of Miami, the Miami Herald reported.
“It is very difficult to stop a small amount of individuals who want to go out there and commit murder, and it takes all of us to stop this,” Ramirez told the newspaper. “We really have to put the work in this summer to keep our children and community safe.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
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