July 07--A Florida Highway Patrol trooper handling an accident on State Road 826 Friday night suddenly found himself in the middle of a shooting investigation.
As the trooper was on the highway attending to a fender-bender, four people in a black Chevy Impala drove up behind his car, three of them with gunshot wounds, FHP spokesman Tom Pikul said. The passenger window of the car was blasted with at least one bullet hole.
The bizarre scene shut down the eastbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway at Northwest 17th Avenue.
Detective Alvaro Zabaleta, a Miami-Dade police spokesperson, said the incident unfolded on Northwest 167 Street, just west of 57 Avenue. The victims suddenly heard gunshots and saw the glass of the car windows shatter. The driver, Zabaleta said, took off towards the Palmetto Expressway out of fear, then came across the FHP trooper.
The three injured people -- reportedly two men and a woman -- were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital at 9:04 p.m., according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The car carrying the wounded people remained on the shoulder of the road, its hazard lights flashing as Miami-Dade police investigated.
Police have not released the victims' names, but say the age range of the victims is between 25 and 40 years old. Investigators do not have any suspects yet, but are looking into any possible motives for the shooting.
Miami Herald staff writer Alexandra Leon contributed to this report.
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