Miami Beach announces curfew after Spring Break shootings
In a statement, the city of Miami Beach announced a curfew due to the shootings and “excessively large and unruly crowds.”
“In response to the two shootings and the excessively large and unruly crowds, and to mitigate dangerous and illegal conduct, the City of Miami Beach has ordered a state of emergency and an 11:59 p.m. curfew to take effect on Sunday, March 19, 2023, through 6 a.m. Monday, March 20, 2023. The City Manager intends to impose similar additional curfew restrictions from Thursday, March 23, 2023, through Monday, March 27, 2023.” You can read the full release here.
The curfew will begin at 11:59pm on Sunday, March 19 and will remain in effect until 6:00am on Monday, March 20.
City of Miami Beach Issues State of Emergency and Curfew
– Curfew to be in effect on Sunday, March 19 from 11:59 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Monday, March 20, 2023 with separate emergency measures to be issued from Thursday, March 23 through Sunday, March 27, 2023 – pic.twitter.com/qYqwxLHxFA— City of Miami Beach (@MiamiBeachNews) March 19, 2023
They also informed that businesses within the area must close early so that customers do not violate the order.
Hotels will be able to continue business operations after the curfew, but only serve hotel guests.
More restrictions in Miami Beach
The release also suggests that the city contemplates imposing more restrictions from March 23 to March 27, and a meeting will be held on Monday to discuss the restrictions.
The curfew does not apply to essential services such as fire, police, and hospitals, as well as patient transportation, utility repairs, and emergency calls.
The restrictions also do not apply to people going to work or returning to their homes.
This statement urges the population to return to the city before 11:59 p.m. to avoid traffic delays.
Why was the curfew imposed on the Miami Beach?
On Friday night, in the middle of Spring Break and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and shooting caused the death of one person, while another was injured.
According to CNN information, police officers heard gunshots near the 7th Street and Ocean Drive, at an intersection just meters away from the beach, around 10:41pm officers showed up at the scene.
According to an official Miami Beach police report on Twitter, the police found two male victims with gunshot wounds.
On Friday at 10:41 p.m., officers heard the sound of gunshots near 7 Street and Ocean Drive and found two males with gunshot wounds at 7 Street. Both males were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Unit.
1/2
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) March 18, 2023
The two victims were transported to the hospital, where one died, and the other was in a critical condition.
The police were able to recover four firearms, and there was apparently one detainee who was cooperating with the investigation.
The department has not yet identified the victims or detainees; however, the authorities suggest that this is an isolated case.
