Cutler Bay

‘It's disheartening': Cutler Bay Mayor steps up police presence near Franjo Park

The mayor also assured the public that the park is safe after a shooting near it injured two men earlier this week

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Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott says he is disgusted by what happened Monday night just outside Franjo Park.

Minutes before 8 p.m., while children were playing baseball, more than two dozen shots were fired in the neighborhood behind the park. 

“It’s disheartening this could happen in our backyard. There’s no way that this could happen in Cutler Bay,” said Coach Mickey Lopez. 

The coach for the Franjo Seminoles says the kids are scared of another violent encounter near the park. 

“All of our kids are a little shook up right now and you know we gotta get back to normalcy and once we do we’ll move past it, but right now they’re scared,” Lopez said.

The mayor assures the public that Franjo Park is safe.

“We will have an increased police presence in that area making sure we are keeping an eye on it. I always say if you turn the lights on the roaches run, and that’s what we’re hoping is going to happen here,” Meerbott said.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Perrine Baseball and Softball League suspended games until Friday. 

“There’s a coaches meeting tonight, so they can get some more information. We’ve also arranged with C.H.I. to provide grief counseling or trauma counseling on Thursday for anybody that may need it,” Meerbott said.

According to Miami-Dade Police, the two men injured in the shooting are not cooperating with detectives.

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