1 Miami birthday party shooting victim dies

MIAMI — One woman hit by gunfire at a Miami birthday party has died, while police continue searching for the gunmen who shot her and 11 others.

Police said 21-year-old Michelle Coleman died Tuesday morning. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner will perform an autopsy.

She was among 12 people shot early Monday after three men stormed the party at the edge of downtown Miami. Another woman was struck by a vehicle as hundreds of partygoers desperately scrambled for safety.

Police say one 21-year-old woman was treated and released while 10 others remain hospitalized Tuesday. Two remain in critical condition.

Chief John Timoney said bullet casings indicated a semiautomatic rifle and two other pistols were used.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MIAMI (AP) — As many as three gunmen stormed a birthday party on the edge of downtown Miami and opened fire early Monday, shooting 12 people and causing a chaotic scramble as people tried to flee, authorities said.

Three of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition, police spokesman Det. William Moreno said. Another person fleeing the home was struck by a vehicle and was in stable condition. Police are searching for the suspects.

The men were wearing all black and opened fire with automatic weapons around 12:45 a.m. Shell casings from an AK-47 and two pistols were found, police said.

It was unclear if the shooting happened in the home or outside what authorities described as a block party.

Police roped off about four blocks with yellow tape in the area of the shooting, located in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, a run down area in the shadows of downtown’s glistening skyscrapers. Crime scene trucks were parked along the street as detectives searched for a motive. Shell casing were sprayed across the road and inside the home, some possibly from Fourth of July celebrations, authorities said.

“There’s a lot of casings,” Miami police Chief John Timoney said.

Miami Fire-Rescue spokesman Ignatius Carroll said initially there were not enough ambulances to take the victims to the hospital, he said.

Associated Press writer Antonio Gonzalez contributed to this story.