Police say the teens were found wounded in separate bedrooms; both remain hospitalized but improving.
OPA-LOCKA, Fla. — Four suspects were arrested Wednesday in connection with a shooting that left two 14-year-old boys wounded inside a gated townhome community early Tuesday, according to Opa-locka police. The gunfire erupted at Sailboat Cove near Northwest 17th Avenue and 143rd Street.
Authorities said the case moved quickly after officers and detectives canvassed the area, interviewed witnesses and reviewed arrest reports tied to a fleeing vehicle. Police identified the suspects as Johnathan Allen Hodges, 20; Santana Britton, 19; Bruce Jackson, 17; and Nasir Roan, 16. Investigators said both victims were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, initially in critical but stable condition. By Wednesday morning, police reported signs of improvement, while emphasizing the investigation remains active and a motive has not been determined.
Officers were called just after daybreak Tuesday to reports of gunfire inside Sailboat Cove, a gated community of townhomes bordered by a canal and neighborhood streets. According to arrest reports, one teen answered a knock at the front door and was struck by gunfire moments later. A second teen ran upstairs for safety and yelled for a relative to call 911 before he, too, was hit. Police found the teens in separate bedrooms and recovered multiple spent shell casings inside the home, the reports state. “The safety and well-being of the community remains a top priority,” the department said in a written statement.
Investigators said a witness in the home saw a masked person at the door and then the muzzle flash of a gun before fleeing to safety. Another officer responding to the call spotted a green Chevrolet Impala speeding away from the complex and driving erratically. The car was stopped blocks away, and Hodges, the driver, was detained at the scene. Arrest paperwork alleges Hodges later told detectives he walked behind the residence and saw several people through a sliding glass door and saw Britton holding two guns. Police said the cooperating witness has provided “valuable information to aid the case.”
Doctors treated the teens for multiple gunshot wounds. According to arrest reports, one victim was shot in the face, buttocks, groin and shin; the second was struck three times in the legs. A third person at the scene was evaluated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and declined transport. Police did not release the teens’ names due to their ages. The father of one victim told local reporters he believed his son was ambushed, saying someone banged on the door before shots rang out. Detectives have not confirmed a specific motive and said it remains unknown whether the attackers targeted the boys or the home.
Britton faces counts including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, shooting or throwing a deadly missile, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and criminal solicitation. Hodges is charged as an accessory after the fact and with criminal solicitation. Jackson, 17, and Roan, 16, were booked into juvenile custody; authorities have not publicly detailed their charges because they are minors. Police said the case is being handled by the department’s Criminal Investigations Division, which is conferring with prosecutors on additional charges as evidence is processed and statements are compared.
The Sailboat Cove community sits near a cluster of schools, churches and small parks just west of U.S. 441. Opa-locka officers have increased patrols in the neighborhood since the shooting and have been checking visitors at the gated entry, residents said. The incident drew attention across Miami-Dade, coming weeks into the new year and amid ongoing concerns about youth gun violence. While Opa-locka has seen periodic spikes in shootings, detectives noted that the circumstances in this case—a front-door encounter inside a gated complex—stand out for their brazenness.
Detectives are continuing to analyze ballistic evidence, camera footage from around the complex and statements from everyone present in the home. Investigators are also tracing the green Impala and any firearms that may have been used. Police said they expect to present an initial investigative packet to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office this week, followed by formal charging decisions. If prosecutors file adult charges against the two juveniles, that would be announced in court. Hearings for Hodges and Britton are expected in county bond court in the coming days.
By late Wednesday, police said both teens remained at Ryder Trauma Center and were showing signs of improvement. Officers maintained an increased presence at Sailboat Cove while detectives prepared additional interviews and awaited lab results. The next update is expected after preliminary court appearances and any charging documents are filed this week.
Author note: Last updated January 22, 2026.