MIAMI – A 21-year-old man was shot multiple times Sunday by a Miami police officer near Bayfront Park, authorities confirmed.
According to Miami Fire Rescue officials, the man was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in serious but stable condition.
According to Miami police, an officer was directing traffic on Biscayne Boulevard as part of a large police detail for the Best of the Best music festival at Bayfront Park when a car hit the officer.
Police said the situation escalated and the officer fired his gun into the vehicle, striking the driver.
“One of our officers was on a traffic post when -- we’re still investigating what exactly what happened -- but we know that a vehicle made physical contact with the officer. As a result of that incident, shots were fired,” Assistant Police Chief Armando Aguilar said.
The shots were fired as the music festival was taking place near Northeast Second Street.
Because of the highly-attended event, more than 50 cops from the Miami Police Department were working the area.
The assistant chief of police said the festival was packed when the shooting took place outside the venue.
“Our officers immediately provided first aid to the person who was shot, who was inside that vehicle,” Aguilar said. “The person who was shot was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center, and our officer was also transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be treated as well.”
The circumstances leading up to the incident remain under investigation.
“So, we don’t know exactly what happened,” Aguilar said. “We do know there was physical contact between the officer and the vehicle that he ended up firing into.”
Video taken by a witness at the event shows people scrambling to leave after a few gunshots are heard.
“Again, the Miami Police Department is no stranger to large scale events like these,” Aguilar said. “We do them all the time, and most of the time, thankfully, very few things go wrong. In an incident like this, unfortunately, it’s just a reminder for everyone that there are dangers in the job that our officers perform.”
The assistant chief confirmed that the injuries the officer suffered are minor and, at last check, the person who was shot was undergoing surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the police shooting.
