I should have known that this crazy week was not gonna end quietly.  It started out with a bang and ended with a boom.

Literally!

First, there was a shooting in North Miami Beach.  Then the North Miami Chief of Police resigned.  But not really.  And then resigned.  For real.

Earlier this evening, just as I was settling in for what I had hoped would be a quiet night, I received a call from my “crime reporter,” Karin Kimball, who told me to get over to her house right away.  She said that a bomb went off in the alley right behind her house.

When I arrived minutes later at NE 16 Avenue between 174th and 175th Streets, there were three North Miami Beach Police cars already on the scene.  One of the officers was putting up the crime scene tape.  A couple minutes later the Crime Scene van pulled up.  An FBI agent, who specializes in bombs, was also called in and arrived shortly thereafter.

All that is known at this time is that a cooler, possibly filled with some sort of chemical, exploded in the alleyway at approximately 8:27 PM.  Karin was driving home from work when her daughters called to tell her they heard a loud explosion.  One of them went out into the alley and saw a trash can on its side with debris scattered all over the ground.  One of her friends, who lives a couple blocks away, also told her that she also heard the explosion.  Karin’s neighbors, who were also at the scene, told me they actually felt their houses shake.

The crime scene was finally cleared shortly after 10:00 PM.  No further information is available at this time.

In other news, there was a shooting in North Miami earlier tonight.  I was advised that a person was shot while sitting in his car.

Gee, that sure sounds familiar.

Obviously, I have absolutely no idea whether or not it’s even remotely connected to NMB’s Tuesday morning incident involving a person who was shot while sitting in his car.  I’m not about to jump to any conclusions whatsoever.

I’m just saying it sounds familiar is all.

News crews were on the scene in North Miami, but since the story has not yet been reported, I have no other details just yet.

So there you have it, folks.  Guns N’ Bombs.  Another typical week in the ‘hood.

Or, as some people like to say, just another day in paradise.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”