MIAMI – A chaotic election night in Miami took a violent turn when a verbal altercation in a parking lot escalated into gunfire, leaving three women hospitalized and a suspect in custody, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
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Miami police said the shooting stemmed from a dispute over the election while the group was socializing outside a business near the 500 block of Northwest 19th Street in the city’s Allapattah neighborhood.
Miami police said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert just after midnight on Nov. 6, indicating multiple rounds had been fired in the area.
Upon arrival, officers said they spotted a black Hyundai Genesis speeding away.
While initiating a traffic stop, police said they discovered a woman in the vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound to her abdomen.
Miami Fire Rescue transported her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. However, the victim’s identity, age, and condition were not disclosed in the report.
Shortly after, 911 dispatchers received a report of two more shooting victims arriving at the same hospital in a private vehicle. All three women were admitted with gunshot wounds of varying severity, according to investigators.
Detectives said interviews with the victims painted a troubling picture of the night’s events.
According to police, the group was “drinking, vibing, and talking about the election” when one of the women, identified as 26-year-old Brianna Almetra Sands, became intoxicated and agitated.
Witnesses told investigators that Sands’ behavior became increasingly erratic, which led others to ask her to leave the area.
Moments later, police said Sands pulled out a gun from her back pocket and opened fire, striking one victim multiple times before targeting the others.
Detectives worked swiftly to piece together the sequence of events.
Over the next several days, they conducted photographic lineups with all three victims.
Two of the victims identified Sands as the shooter, while the third victim, who had been extubated, was unable to speak clearly to give a sworn recorded statement, according to the report.
Authorities said Sands was apprehended on Tuesday at a home in Miami Beach by MPD’s Felony Apprehension Team.
She was transported to the department’s Violent Crimes Unit for questioning, but after being read her Miranda rights, she invoked her right to remain silent.
Jail records show she is facing three counts each of second-degree attempted murder with a deadly weapon and one count of illegal possession of a weapon while committing an offense.
As of Wednesday, Sands is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she was given no bond.