'People Creating An Act Of War': Victim's Grandfather Speaks Out On 'Upsetting' Deadly Shooting On Palmetto Expressway
HIALEAH (CBSMiami) – A victim's grandfather is speaking out after one man was killed and another was wounded during a shooting on the Palmetto Expressway Wednesday afternoon.
Floyd Grier told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that his 20-year-old grandson, Dante Collins Banks, was driving a red Nissan Altima when the shooter fired at him.
Grier said, "I am sad about what happened to him. This is my grandson. I don't want anything to happen to him. When I saw him in the hospital, he was wearing a bandage, so I don't know if he was shot in the chest or the stomach."
Jackson Memorial Hospital says Banks has been released.
Banks' passenger, 20-year-old Timothy Starks, did not survive. Records show Starks had just been released from jail after posting bond on a concealed weapons charge.
The shooter, who was in a dark-colored car, fled the scene following the shooting. The northbound lanes of the Palmetto were shut down for eight hours near the site of the incident at NW 103rd Street, where the victims' vehicles crashed into a barrier wall just before 3 p.m.
Grier said, "There's nothing I can do about these shootings. Maybe law enforcement can do something about it. It is happening every day. This is upsetting to me, of course it is. It's what people do now. What upsets me the most is people creating an act of war with each other and not caring about each other."
"I am not going to waste my time asking for the people who did this to come forward," Grier continued. "They probably will not, but it would mean a lot to me if they catch him. I am sure they will catch him eventually."
The car's front windshield was riddled with bullets, and investigators found a series of shell casings in the area where it happened.
Miami-Dade Police Det. Angel Rodriguez said, "The only information we have is that we are looking for a dark-colored vehicle and that is why we need the community's assistance to be able to determine what make and model it is and the direction it was going in."
On Thursday afternoon, Rodriguez told CBS4 that there were no new leads in this case.
Miami-Dade PD said they're not sure what prompted this shooting and did not have a good description to release of the shooter's vehicle.
Investigators hope people with useful cellphone video of the incident or the shooter's car will come forward.
Anyone with information that can help should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
There is a reward of up to $5,000 and you can remain anonymous.
