Third person dies after mass shooting outside Miami banquet hall
MIAMI – A 32-year-old woman wounded in Sunday’s mass shooting outside a Miami banquet hall last month died Thursday, authorities said.
Shaniqua Lachelle Peterson died after the May 30 shooting, becoming the third fatality after three masked gunmen opened fire at the side entrance of the El Mula Banquet Hall, the Miami Herald reported.
Initially, two people were killed and 21 were injured in the shooting at the venue, which was hosting a rap concert, according to WSVN. Desmond Owens and Clayton Dillard III, both 26, were killed at the banquet hall, WTVJ reported.
The gunmen jumped out of a white Nissan Pathfinder and began shooting. Miami-Dade police officials released surveillance video Monday showing the alleged assailants.
According to authorities, Peterson had been in a medically induced coma in the intensive care unit of an area hospital after being shot in the head, WPLG reported. She died shortly after 3 p.m. EDT, according to the television station.
>> Police release video of suspects in shooting
Peterson is survived by a 12-year-old son.
Family members, who asked not to be identified, said they were shocked and saddened.
“It’s going to be hard for him to go on every day throughout the rest of his life knowing his mama’s no there,” Peterson’s older brother told WSVN.
“Whoever did this, they took a beautiful person, inside and out, totally beautiful,” Peterson’s grandmother told the television station.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava offered condolences to Peterson’s family in a tweet.
There have been no arrests in the case.
Police have not said if they have identified suspects or a motive for the shooting, the Herald reported. Several law enforcement sources told the newspaper that they are investigating possible social media feuds involving the local rappers who hosted the show.
