Teen Critical After Shooting On Basketball Court
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An 18-year old remains in critical condition after he was shot while playing basketball on a middle school campus.
Police rushed to Parkway Middle School on Northwest 175 Street and 24 Avenue in Miami Gardens around 6:30 pm. Wednesday after getting reports of shots fired.
When they arrived they found one teen with multiple gunshot wounds. Friends identified the injured teen as Joshua Bailey who attends the Academy for Community Education. He was taken to Jackson North before being moved to the Ryder Trauma Center.
"For him to be in the situation like that and me not being able to not be there for him, it hurts cause I'm used to him always being there for me," said Bailey's friend Tracy Williams.
Williams, who considers Bailey her brother, said she can't understand why anyone would want to shoot him.
"They deserved to be punished. Nobody deserves that. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," said Williams.
While school was not in session at the time, neighbors said plenty of people were too close for comfort.
"I was just sitting on my back porch and I heard 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop'. Then it stopped and it went again 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," said Yvette Pollock.
"There's a lot of kids out there playing basketball. It was a certain child they wanted. But anybody else's child could have gotten killed. Mine could have gotten killed," said Cassandra Stepherson.
Parkway's principal sent a robocall to all the parents whose children attend the school informing them of the shooting.
Colleen Brown said a school bus dropped off her son near the basketball courts about two hours before the shooting.
"I was scared. That was the first thing, I was scared and worried," said Brown. "And then the thing was it happened in the evening when he came home so I was kind of happy that he wasn't out there and already home. But the thing is now he has to text me when he gets on the bus, text me when he gets off the bus, text me when he's home so I know that he's okay."
Community activist Glen Forshee, whose daughter 12-year old Tequila was shot to death last month as she sat inside her grandmother's home having her hair braided, said this is another example of senseless crimes against young people in Miami Gardens.
"I heard there was another young man on the basketball court who got shot up," said Forshee. "We have to stand up as a community and get involved. We have to end this violence in Miami Gardens today."
Forshee is helping to organize a prayer event and march through the city of Miami Gardens march and prayer event this Saturday.
Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Ian Moffett said they have several leads on the possible shooter.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
