But there's no doubt that violence is the worst possible way to remember the civil rights icon. So it's doubly tragic that a mass shooting has marred Miami's own MLK Day celebrations — right in the middle of Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Northwest Miami-Dade County.
A Miami-Dade County Police spokesperson tells New Times that at least seven people were shot in the incident at the park, where many had gathered to remember King. Local 10 reports that at least four of those victims are adults and three are children.
The city's Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, which lasted all day, terminated in the park. Later today, Miami's Pan-African & Caribbean Family Festival had been scheduled to take place inside the green space.
@MiamiDadePD shameful closing to the MLK Parade. Certainly not what the followers of Dr. King Jr. want out of our community.
— Juan Perez (@JPerezinMia) January 16, 2017
At the moment, there are scant other details about the shooting. Sources told CBS Miami's Jim DeFede that at least two victims were in critical condition as of this afternoon.
MDPD announced online that two people had been detained, and two guns had been recovered — as of this afternoon, police were still searching the area for suspects.Chaotic scene at MLK Park as gun shot victims fled the scene and then showed up at Jackson Memorial Hospital @CBSMiami
— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) January 16, 2017
