Grieving dad of Florida mass shooting victim interrupts news conference

Two died and three remain in critical condition after 23 were shot on Sunday.

May 31, 2021, 5:19 PM

A Florida mayor is begging the public to help "get these killers off the streets" after a mass shooting outside a banquet hall in suburban Miami.

Twenty-three people were shot, including two fatally, early Sunday morning at the El Mula Banquet Hall in Hialeah, Florida, where a local rapper was celebrating his birthday.

PHOTO: Miami-Dade police officers collect evidence near shell case evidence markers where a mass shooting took place outside of a banquet hall on May 30, 2021, in Hialeah, Fla.
Miami-Dade police officers collect evidence near shell case evidence markers where a mass shooting took place outside of a banquet hall on May 30, 2021, in Hialeah, Fla.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
PHOTO: Miami-Dade police investigate a mass shooting at a concert that killed two people and injured more than 20 others in North Miami-Dade, near Miami Gardens, Fla., May 30, 2021.
Miami-Dade police investigate a mass shooting at a concert that killed two people and injured more than 20 others in North Miami-Dade, near Miami Gardens, Fla., May 30, 2021.
Carl Juste/Miami Herald/TNS via Newscom

The father of one victim interrupted Monday's news conference. Clayton Dillard could be heard shouting "killed my kid" and "killed my son!"

As the grieving father was escorted away, Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez told reporters, "That's the pain that affects our community right there."

PHOTO: Clayton Dillard stands outside of the scene of a shooting at a banquet hall near Hialeah, Fla., as he seeks information about a family member, May 30, 2021.
Clayton Dillard stands outside of the scene of a shooting at a banquet hall near Hialeah, Fla., as he seeks information about a family member, May 30, 2021.
Lynne Sladky/AP
PHOTO: Clayton Dillard, right, talks with a police official, left, seeking information about a family member outside of the scene of a shooting at a banquet hall near Hialeah, Fla., May 30, 2021.
Clayton Dillard, right, talks with a police official, left, seeking information about a family member outside of the scene of a shooting at a banquet hall near Hialeah, Fla., May 30, 2021.
Lynne Sladky/AP

Police said they believe the shooting -- carried out by three gunmen -- was motivated by an "ongoing rivalry" between two groups.

The gunmen waited outside of the banquet hall for about 40 minutes and then opened fire on patrons as they left, Ramirez told ABC News on Sunday. Some patrons returned fire, Ramirez said, and over 100 shell casings were found at the scene.

PHOTO: Bodies lay covered with yellow tarps in front of El Mula Banquet Hall in northwest Miami-Dade County, near Hialeah, Fla., May 30, 2021.
Bodies lay covered with yellow tarps in front of El Mula Banquet Hall in northwest Miami-Dade County, near Hialeah, Fla., May 30, 2021.
Gary I. Rothstein/UPI via Shutterstock

At Monday's news conference, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Keon Hardemon called the shooting an act of domestic terrorism.

Police released surveillance video of the gunmen exiting a white Nissan Pathfinder at the scene. On Monday evening police said the car -- which was reported stolen on May 15 -- had been found, submerged in a canal.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vowed to "use every resource available to bring these people to justice."

Three survivors remain in critical condition, police said Monday.

The mayor also addressed gun violence more broadly, noting that over 30 people were shot this weekend.

PHOTO: Miami-Dade police investigate near shell case evidence markers on the ground where a mass shooting took place outside of a banquet hall on May 30, 2021, in Hialeah, Fla.
Miami-Dade police investigate near shell case evidence markers on the ground where a mass shooting took place outside of a banquet hall on May 30, 2021, in Hialeah, Fla.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"We must break the cycle of violence," she said. "Gun violence is an epidemic and the pandemic has intensified it.

The reward for information on the banquet hall shooting has climbed to $130,000, according to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers.