Five detained after Miami-Dade officer grazed by bullet in Miami Gardens, police say

Five people were detained Monday after a Miami-Dade police officer was shot in the face while conducting a surveillance in Miami Gardens, the department said.

“Investigators are in the process of determining their involvement, if any,” police said in a news release Monday night.

The shooting happened around 10:16 a.m. in the area of Northwest 19th Avenue and 154th Street, Miami-Dade police spokesman Angel Rodriguez said. The wounded officer was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center while police from Miami-Gardens, Miami-Dade, Opa-locka and other agencies looked for the shooter or shooters.

Miami-Dade police Director Stephanie Daniels, speaking to reporters outside of the hospital Monday afternoon, said the officer is conscious, awake and expected to make a full recovery.

“Thank God he is doing alright. He is in stable condition. He will be able to go home and celebrate Thanksgiving with his family,” Daniels said.

According to a police source, the wounded officer was part of a detail watching a house as part of an investigation into a shooting over the weekend.

The officer and his colleagues followed a car that left that house, and someone in that car opened fire on the police, the source said. The wounded officer was grazed in the head, according to the source. Daniels said the wound was to the officer’s face.

The officers returned fire, but it’s not immediately known if they hit anyone.

Daniels told reporters that five people have been detained, but not arrested.

She did not name the officer, but said he is 29 years old and has been on the force for seven years.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also went to the hospital to check on the officer.

“This law enforcement officer is a real hero. He comes from a law enforcement family. He is in good spirits, and he is standing strong,” she told reporters.

By Monday night, police said the perimeter around the area where the shooting took place “was secured,” but the investigation continued. Rodriguez said detectives were interviewing the five people in custody “to determine their involvement, if any.”

Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said the incident puts a spotlight on the perils of police work.

“It’s like something you see in the movies. A gunfight right in the middle of the street,” he said. “And, three days before Thanksgiving.”

Police ask anyone with information about the case to call anonymously Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade & the Florida Keys at 305-471-TIPS, or log on to crimestoppersmiami.com and select “Give a Tip.”