MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Attorney Joseph Nave was still shaken on Thursday. He said he was riding a scooter in South Beach when he was the victim of a road rage shooting about 3 p.m. Wednesday.
He was on busy Alton Road and 16th Street. A woman who was in a car behind him started honking erratically. She shouted an expletive and ordered him to get out of her way. They were at a red light. He saw her rummaging through her car before she pulled out a gun.
Nave said he couldn’t believe she would fire her weapon in front of so many witnesses and in broad daylight. When he felt a bullet pass by near his head, he said he thought about his clients’ pending immigration cases and about his stepfather.
“I am in the process of doing a kidney transplant for my stepdad and this lady could have ended all of that in one heated moment for nothing,” Nave said.
Nave said he was trying to take a picture of her license plate when she got out of her car and continued to fire her firearm two more times. He said there was a line of cars right behind them. Nave wasn’t injured.
“Complete disregard for everyone’s safety all around us and it’s just unbelievable,” Nave said.
Miami Beach police officers collected bullet casings, but they have yet to release the identity of the suspect. Nave said Miami Beach is dealing with an increase in gun violence. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber agreed.
“This is a terrible case because people should not worry about being in the streets with gunfire in the area,” Gelber said.
Gelber said Miami Beach police officers seized 60 guns off the street with the help of license plate readers. He said one shooting is too many and he needs more police and more license plate readers.
“We have got over 400 cops. We are trying to put them everywhere we can, but this seems to be a national trend right now.
Said Nave: “The officers are really great here, but they can only do so much.”
Gelber also said he wishes he could do more to control guns in Miami Beach, but he is not allowed to by the state legislature. He said he heard Nave’s request that more needs to be done.
“I hear him and understand him because he’s not alone and other people have had this issue in our community and elsewhere,” Gelber said. “It is not acceptable and we are going to do everything we can to stop it.”
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