NYC Officer Shot On South Beach, Suspects At Large
MIAMI BEACH (CBS4)- An off-duty New York City police officer is out of surgery at Jackson Memorial Ryder Trauma Center after he was shot on South Beach early Saturday morning.
The shooting occurred at approximately 7 a.m. at 1288 and Collins Avenue, according to Miami Beach Police Detective Vivian Hernandez.
"We do know that there were shots fired," Hernandez said. "The detective was injured. He was in surgery, but at this point we don't have any further information."
Police have closed off Collins Ave. from 12th to 13th Street and traffic was being diverted through adjacent streets.
"The crime scene was minimized due to the fact that when the incident occurred we had multiple units respond to the area for the purpose of the safety of our citizens. We want to make sure that everybody is safe."
Hernandez said the shooting victim was staying in an apartment on the block, but it is unknown which building he was staying in. There was an altercation that led to a shooting where he was injured, Hernandez said.
Residents and visitors were stunned by the commotion.
"No, I wouldn't expect this at all on Miami Beach," said tourist Carlline Johnson.
Johnson said the incident makes her nervous.
"It really does," she said. "We're visiting, obviously, so we don't want to get involved with this."
Some are concerned about the security measures at the beach.
"This should have happened," one woman said. "We should be able to be more secure at the beach so I think we should heightened security at the beach because people will feel safe when they come from out of town."
An undetermined number of suspects are at large, according to Hernandez.
No one else was injured.
The area affected by the crime scene is expected to be closed off to the public until the investigation is complete. Police did not release the name of the victim.
