Gunmen in a passing car fired into a crowd of mourners outside a Northeast Miami-Dade funeral home Friday night, injuring at least 14 people and leaving 2 dead, according to preliminary reports.
The funeral was for 22-year-old Morvin Andre, according to the Miami Herald, who died after jumping from the fourth floor of the Aventura Mall garage rather than be apprehended by loss prevention employees.
Officiating pastor A.D. Lenoir said services for Andre had just concluded, leaving a large crowd standing outside Funeraria Latina Emanuel on West Dixie Highway when at least one person inside a white Pontiac or Impala opened fire around 9 p.m.
The shooting was prompted by a dispute between gang members after one person touched Andre's body, upsetting a second party, according to a senior law enforcement official who spoke with CBS Miami. The Herald reports Andre was not in a gang himself.
One victim died at the scene and another passed away in hospital. Among those wounded by gunfire was a 5-year-old girl who was shot in the leg.
"I grabbed her so we could go and she was screaming. I'm like 'Why are you screaming?' I thought she was scared," said mother Someta Etienne. "Then I saw the blood coming from her pants...It's crazy, they don't understand how many people they affect by doing that, shooting recklessly, aiming anywhere."
"Horror, it was horrible and it was sounds of horror," Lenoir told NBCMiami.
This is a developing story.
CORRECTION: Witnesses initially told the Miami Herald that Morvin Andre was killed in a shooting. The paper is now reporting that Andre died after jumping from a mall parking garage while being pursued by loss prevention investigators.