🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Miami Beach has officially declared a state of emergency after five people were sent to the hospital over the weekend for two separate shootings.
Mayor Dan Gelber, along with other city officials, made the order official during a press conference on Monday. During it, he acknowledged the stress that first responders have endured with the increased reports of violence. Among the orders made as a response to violence was a citywide curfew, which begins at 12:01 a.m. on March 24 and ends at 6 a.m. on March 28.
"We can't endure this anymore," said Gelber. "We just simply cannot have people come to our city and have to worry about being shot. That's not a way a city can operate."
The order comes after two separate shootings in one weekend rocked the city. The first shooting occurred on March 20 when three people were hospitalized along Ocean Drive after a gunman fired into a crowd. Two people were found shot at the scene, while another checked himself into the hospital and reported to have attended the event taking place. Police are still searching for the gunman.
The second shooting occurred on March 21 also near Ocean Drive. Two women were found shot, with one witness saying they tried running across the street to escape the bullets. A gunman, 19-year-old Derrick Mitchell was arrested after being identified via surveillance footage and has been charged with three counts.
"We heard the shots, they ran across the street, and see them fall and I pulled out my gun to see what was going on," resident Lo Mills told local news station WTVJ.
All five people shot this past weekend in Miami Beach sustained minor injuries and are expected to fully recover. Despite this, authorities say that such violence should not be tolerated, pointing to the larger-than-normal spring break crowds as a contributing factor.
"I know this might be happening all over the country, as I've seen on some national reports, but frankly that doesn't make anybody feel better right here," said Gelber. "Because this is our city and we cannot allow it to descend into this kind of chaos and disorder."
WTVJ reports that Miami Beach police officers have seized 100 guns in the past month. However, 37 of those guns were apprehended over the past three days, a staggering amount that has contributed to the extreme emergency order and curfew. Hundreds of people have reportedly been arrested.
"People keep coming here in large numbers, such large numbers that it creates an almost impossible situation for our police," explained Gelber.
For the second year in a row, Miami Beach has issued a state of emergency in response to spring break tourism. However, the state of emergency issued in 2021 was explained as an effort to curb COVID-19 transmission among tourists.
Update at 3/21/22, 5:19 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include additional information.
