Two men shot dead while driving in Miami-Dade. Car crashed into hurricane debris

Two men were shot and killed Wednesday afternoon when the car they were driving was riddled with bullets, forcing it to crash into a pile of hurricane debris near Little River, Miami-Dade police said.

The shot-up silver Nissan Sentra remained on the debris-littered swale on Fifth Court for hours as detectives investigated. The car was covered with a yellow tarp held down by two-by-fours.

Police say a 911 call came in shortly afternoon reporting that shots had been fired in the area of Northwest Fifth Court and 81st Street.

When officers arrived they found that the Sentra had been heading south on Fifth Court through the intersection when gunshots were fired.

“This happened in the middle of the day, in the middle of the afternoon on a very busy street,” Miami-Dade Det. Lee Cowart said. “That’s a major concern of ours.”

Cowart said the car made it about a half a block before it was stopped by hurricane debris. The two men, who have not yet been identified, were hit by multiple rounds and died in the car, police said.

“We are fortunate that the car didn’t go on to hit anything else,” he said.

While police were told by witnesses that there was a second car involved and the shooting is being considered a drive-by, there is no description yet of the other vehicle, Cowart said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 6:21 AM with the headline "Two men shot dead while driving in Miami-Dade. Car crashed into hurricane debris."