12-Year-Old Girl Wounded in South Florida Shooting, Authorities Say

Officials said the girl was sitting in a vehicle outside a residence with two siblings when shots were fired early Tuesday morning.

Audrey Simons

Published: 7/14/2026, 5:53:14 PM EDT

12-Year-Old Girl Wounded in South Florida Shooting, Authorities Say — Police tape is seen on a blocked off road. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

Authorities in South Florida are seeking information in connection with a shooting that wounded a 12-year-old girl in Miami-Dade County early Tuesday morning.

According to a press release from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (MDSO), deputies were dispatched to the area of Northwest 21st Avenue and Northwest 64th Street in Gladeview shortly before 1 a.m. after receiving a report that someone had been shot.

Upon arriving at the location, deputies found the girl with an apparent gunshot wound to her upper extremities. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue also responded to the scene, and transported the child to a local hospital in stable condition.

During a news conference on Tuesday, MDSO Detective Samantha Choon said the girl had been sitting in a car with two siblings in front of a residence on the street, while her mother was standing outside the vehicle when shots were fired.

Choon said it remains unclear whether the shooting was a targeted attack, given that two other vehicles parked nearby had also been struck.

"This could have been a very different outcome," she said. "It just so happened that this particular vehicle, the children were inside of it, so we cannot say who the intended target was."

Marie Grimes, a neighbor whose vehicle was among those hit by gunfire, told WPLG Local 10 News that she heard the shots ring out.

"I heard the booms—boom, boom, boom, boom—and I said, 'Oh my God, what’s happening?'" Grimes recounted. "I’m just glad the little girl is okay."

One of the child's family members told the station that the 12-year-old has since been released from the hospital and is now at home recovering.

No additional information has been released about what may have led up to the shooting, including a possible motive. NTD reached out to the sheriff's office for more information, but the agency did not provide any further details about the incident.

Detectives with the MDSO General Investigations Unit responded to the scene and are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

No arrests have been made, and officials have not released any information about a possible subject.

Detectives are urging residents in the area to review any surveillance or Ring camera footage from around the time of the shooting, and share any footage that could assist with the investigation.

Anyone with information about the case has been asked to contact the MDSO's Northside District Station at 305-836-8601. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling the Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers hotline at 305-471-8477.