Shooting during filming of rapper video leaves 10 injured in Miami

MIAMI: At least 10 people were injured in a shooting outside Miami during the filming of a music video by Moroccan-American rapper French Montana, police and US media said Friday.

The shooting took place Thursday evening in the city of Miami Gardens, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of Miami, Florida, the local police department told AFP in a statement.

“We are being advised that multiple victims were struck,” the department said, adding that victims were taken to local hospitals.

The Miami Herald newspaper reported that the incident took place following an altercation between two groups of people.

Rapper Ced Mogul told NBC 6 television that he heard multiple shots.

“At least 13, 14, 15 gunshots. It was very rapid, it sounded like an assault rifle,” Mogul said.

Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the victims or released more details.

According to the Miami Herald, six victims were transported to the hospital and four went to a medical center on their own.

French Montana, whose official name is Karim Kharbouch, was born in Morocco and immigrated to New York with his parents as a teenager.

The 38-year-old rapper released his debut album “My French” in 2013.

The US has long been criticised by anti-gun activists at home and abroad for its tolerance of guns and arms which has boosted gun violence by a large margin. 

These shootings range from individuals killing those against whom they have personal vendettas — prompted by racism, sexism, or homophobia among others — to mass shootings at schools and colleges.

According to Bloomberg, four out of every 100,000 people die by gun violence in the US every year. 

This number is eight times higher than that of Canada (0.5 per 100,000), and a massive step above European countries, including Switzerland (0.2), Norway (0.1), Germany (0.1) and the United Kingdom (0.04).