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Police: MLK Day shooting in Miami sparked by gangs

MIAMI -- Police say rival gangs are to blame for a shooting at a park following the annual Martin Luther King Day Parade in Miami.

News outlets report that Miami-Dade police announced Tuesday that the gunfire that wounded eight people at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park on Monday was an exchange between gangs.

Hundreds of people had gathered in the park after the parade in the Liberty City neighborhood. People scattered in all directions when they heard the shots fired.

Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said Tuesday the violence runs counter to Marin Luther King Jr.’s message, reports CBS Miami.

“He was a man who talked about peace, that talked about equality...and sadly we sit here today talking about victims that were shot in a playground in a park at the finale of a great parade,” Perez said.

The wounded ranged in age from 11 to 30. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported six of the injured to local hospitals. The other two, both minors, were treated on scene, the station reports.

Police say two people were arrested on un-related weapons charges. The search for the shooters continues.

Perez says a $21,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. He urged anyone with information to come forward.

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