A state of emergency has been declared in Miami Beach and a curfew is set to be enforced after two people were killed in separate shooting incidents over the weekend.
Spring break party goers will be forced to remain indoors from 11.59pm on Sunday until 6am on Monday morning after officials cracked down following the killings and “excessively large and unruly crowds”.
Another curfew is pencilled in to run from Thursday night until Monday, March 27 but that is subject to approval following a commission meeting on Monday.
The curfew is in place across the Florida city from 23rd Street and Dade Boulevard to north Government Cut, and from Biscayne Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.
The first fatal shooting happened on Ocean Drive on Friday, with the second happening in the same area on Sunday morning.
The Daily Mail reported that officers had initially described the first shooting as an isolated incident during what had until that point been a peaceful week of celebrations.
Gunfire on South Beach during St Patrick's Day celebrations on Friday night led to an arrest.
One man was killed and another injured as revellers fled in panic.
Officers recovered four guns from the scene and described the suspect as “cooperating fully”, with the injured victim reportedly discharged from hospital.
Miami Beach Police said that the second shooting had also happened on Ocean Drive in South Beach, with a man dying in hospital after being shot.
On Sunday, the Miami Beach Police Department tweeted: “The identities of all parties cannot be released while the investigation is ongoing.
“Miami Beach Police Department’s staffing remains enhanced and supplemented with assistance from neighbouring law enforcement agencies.”
Spring break celebrations are going ahead without Covid restrictions for the first time in three years.
Peter Sint, a 23-year-old from Miami-Dade, was concerned about the possibility of more violence.
“We're going to play it by ear and see how drunk [the crowd gets],' he told the Miami Herald.
“There's a lot of people here, and I'm just thinking something's about to happen at some point.”
Several blocks were cordoned off after Friday's shooting, with video showing people running for cover as shots rang out.
Two years ago, cops made around 1,000 arrests and seized dozens of guns as spring break celebrations threatened to get out of hand.
