GOLDEN GLADES, Fla. – Surveillance cameras recorded a person driving down the street while firing five rounds into the air in Miami-Dade County.
Residents in the Miami-Dade’s Golden Glades neighborhood said they were afraid after the hail of falling bullets at about 2 a.m., on Saturday.
“Anybody can get shot! You can’t be shooting up; it has got to come down,” said Margarate Reid, who was among the residents who feared the shooter could have unintentionally killed or injured a neighbor or a pet.
The driver fled the area of North Spur Drive and Northeast Second Court. The shell casings still littered the street on Monday. Heitor Faria said the gunfire was traumatic for him and his family.
“My son heard the gunshots ... he was very scared,” Faria said.
The motive for the shooting remains a mystery. In some cultures, celebratory gunfire, which is illegal in the United States, may be used to mark a joyous occasion despite the threat.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every New Year’s Eve in Puerto Rico, where celebratory gunfire is common, two people die and 25 more are injured by the stray bullets.
In Florida, any occupant of a vehicle who discharges a firearm within 1,000 feet of any person commits a felony of the second degree. Miami-Dade police officers responded to the Golden Glades neighborhood to investigate the Saturday shooting and a detective recovered the surveillance videos to search for a suspect.
Detectives were asking anyone with information about this or other similar cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.