Residents shaken after video captures high-powered rifle shootout in Miami Gardens

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A quiet night was shattered by the rapid staccato of gunfire that police say created a “warzone” in a Miami Gardens neighborhood on Wednesday.

It happened just after midnight near the 4200 block of 196th Street.

Miami Gardens resident Luis Rivera found himself huddled with his family as bullets tore through their home.

“There were flashes all over the place. I could see through the curtains,” said Rivera.

For Rivera, the terror was amplified by the presence of his adopted daughter, who is battling cancer at just six years old.

“I was scared, shaking and nervous because this hasn’t happened before,” the brave girl told Local 10 News.

Surveillance video obtained by Local 10 News shows the shooters appearing to wait for a silver Nissan to pass by. As soon as it did, chaos erupted.

Shortly after, additional video showed the Nissan crashing through a neighbor’s fence.

Three people inside escaped while one person was seen attempting to hop Rivera’s fence just moments before he called the police.

Rivera said the bullets pierced anything in their path, but thankfully, no injuries were reported.

A neighbor, speaking off-camera, told Local 10 News that his pickup truck was riddled with at least ten bullet holes, rendering it immobile.

He said one bullet even found its way through his front window, embedding itself in his couch.

Police are now trying to determine who the shooters were and why were they in the neighborhood at the time.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Miami Gardens Police Department at 305-474-6473 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.


About the Author

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.

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