A woman and a teenager were struck by what appeared to be stray bullets in separate incidents in Miami-Dade County on the Fourth of July, authorities said.
The teenager, 13-year-old Ijamyn Grey, was taken to the hospital in stable condition after he was shot at around 11:15 p.m. Thursday, Miami-Dade Police said.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
WATCH HERE
"I was looking at the people throwing fireworks, and I felt something hit my shoulder," Grey told NBC6. "I don't know where it came from, but I just know a bullet hit my arm."
Ijamyn's father said he saw his son running up the stairs of their residence in a Liberty City apartment complex after the shooting.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP
"When I looked, I seen a little blood in his shirt... I pulled his shirt and then the bullet popped out. I said, 'Oh! You got shot!'" Ijamyn Grey Sr. said. "Him having the shirt on really prevented it from going through his arm, and the shirt like stopped it. I've never seen that before in my life."
The father believes the bullet was shot into the air.
"They said it actually traveled a little further distance, that's why by the time it got to him, it was probably slowing down," Grey Sr. said. "We're going to thank God for his grace and his mercy."
Local
The teen's dad is all too aware of how much worse the situation could have been.
"It could've hit him in the head, in the neck, in his chest... and then we would've all been sitting here talking about, 'I'm sorry,'" Grey Sr. said. "This is my only boy. I wouldn't know what to do."
The woman was hurt while she was watching fireworks at around 10 p.m. in the area of Northwest 9th Avenue and Northwest 4th Street in Homestead, according to Homestead police.
She was hit in the shoulder, and airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center where she remained in critical condition at 1:25 a.m. Friday, authorities said.
“At this stage of the investigation, there is no information available about the subject responsible for firing the stray bullet,” police said.
It was not clear why the shot was fired, but authorities did urge the public to “exercise caution and follow all safety guidelines during holiday celebrations involving fireworks or other activities that may involve gunfire. Remember that celebratory gunfire is illegal and dangerous. Bullets fired into the air can return to the ground at high velocities and pose a serious risk to public safety.”
Anyone with information should contact Homestead Police at 305-247-1535.
