Officials in Miami Beach declared a state of emergency Monday after a weekend of violence that saw five people wounded in two separate shootings in a city that’s become notorious for its wild spring break parties.
As part of the order, there will be a 12 a.m. curfew which goes into effect on Thursday.
“We can’t endure this anymore. We just simply can’t,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said at a press conference Monday. “This isn’t your father or your mother’s spring break. This is something wholly different.”
The mayor said about 100 guns have been seized over the past four weeks and several police officers have been injured while controlling the crowds.
On Sunday, three people were wounded in a shooting on a popular Miami Beach street. The gunfire broke out around 12:15 a.m. on Ocean Drive. A video posted on social media shows a police motorcade driving slowly down the crowded street with sirens sounding and lights flashing when four shots rang out. The burst of gunfire sent dozens of young people running for cover.
One person was detained after officers surrounded a car with guns drawn. It is not known if charges have been filed. The three victims are expected to survive, police said.
Early Monday, officers found two women with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds in a separate shooting incident.
Police said one person was in critical condition and nine others were taken to the hospital in stable condition following the shooting late Saturday at The Space Dallas, a party venue in South Dallas. No arrests have been announced yet.
Four people were shot and wounded in downtown Austin early Sunday morning. The shooting occurred as the city hosts South by Southwest, a weeklong arts and technology festival that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year.
Spring break 2022 is the first post-pandemic escape for partygoers and families alike but it has become marred with violence, not just in Miami but around the country.
On Saturday, 10 people were shot and several others were injured while trying to escape a spring break party in Dallas.
The four victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect was taken into custody, police said.
In a separate incident in Houston, four teenagers were shot, one fatally, at a birthday party.