Two Loaded Guns Found By Children In Tree Outside Salvadore Park

Ariel Fernandez

What is perhaps the City of Coral Gables’ most popular park, Salvadore Park, located at 1120 Andalusia Avenue was the scene of a troubling find on the afternoon of February 25th, as two children found a pair of loaded revolvers in a tree in the swale outside the park.

The children reported what they found to their parents who immediately notified Coral Gables Police Department.

The guns were found just feet away from two schools, St. Philips Episcopal School and and St. Theresa Catholic School.

The incident report states that the children “came across two revolvers that were on the ground hidden in a tree while they were playing. The juveniles grabbed one of the revolvers and immediately placed them on the ground.”

The revolvers were a “.38 Taurus with heavy rust and a trigger lock” and a “.357 Ruger SPI 01 in fair condition.” Both weapons were loaded.

“Both revolvers were stolen during a residential burglary on August 03, 2021 at 0930 hours in the City of Miami.”

The City of Miami Police Department has taken possession of the revolvers as they are investigating the burglary.

Coral Gables Police Department will be recognizing the children for their response to the find.

19 thoughts on “Two Loaded Guns Found By Children In Tree Outside Salvadore Park”

Terry, it happened because the design of the Mobility Hub was a PET Project of the City Manager left over from the previous administration. We need a Mobility Hub but NOT with the present design, it will look like an eye sore so close to City Hall, Mr. Merrick most be jumping in his grave, another Glass Box like the ones on Alhambra. We have bad memory, that is why Valdes Fauly was elected mayor again, not me, I didn’t vote for him and we are still suffering with the mess he left. But then, I am not a recent arrival to the City, since 1980, 40+ years paying taxes and enjoying our City Beautiful! BTW, Code Enforcement is Absent from the “low rent” district of Coral Gables, Alhambra Circle to 8 St and Douglas to Lejeune. Furniture, appliances, cars & vans parked against the traffic, etc. to many to mention.

Please refrain for using foul language, not becoming of a Lady. Don’t Blame Mayor Lago, he is NOT a Strong Mayor. YES, he needs to Clean House but it is not an easy task and it takes time. There are 3 “heads” that need to Go for the benefit of the city & its residents, the leftover City Manager, the City Attorney & Trias. Not soon enough!!!!

People who make can’t meet a standard and then make false excuses for not meeting it
down deep are weak and sometimes corrupt.

Really people. Other than a couple of comments based on reality, trying to blame everyone you can think of is ridiculous. Just how often is someone from the parks dept supposed to be checking tree bases outside of every park? If these two kids found them, we can guess they had not been there long, or a couple of other kids playing might have found them. Stuff happens. Save your outrage for another issue that could really use it.

Are there CCTV cameras at “the most popular park” in the Gables? There should be! Along with video of the person(s) who left the guns. If there aren’t any cameras there, then yes the politicians and others may have been to a partial degree at fault, if a gun tragedy had happened. This is a wake up call. CCTV & CCTV signs for the park.

Aurelio, is partially RIGHT. The outsider crowds at the Venetian Pool upset me so much I no longer go. Reason: price points & greed. If more expensive for non Gables residents, less people and thus less city revenue. Why not charge non-Gables residents more? Less of them but maybe taking in the same dollars, since we’d charge them double.

To Scott:

Stop making stupid excuses for the clowns in the Park Department. You’re only making it worse.
Can you imagine what would have happened if the kids thought the gun was a toy, pointed it at
another kid, and pulled the trigger?

This week’s puppet award goes to the Park Department in Coral Gables, Fl.

Two guns were found not by the Park Department but by children in a City park that was near two schools.

The two guns were not empty. They were fully loaded. The criminal who had guns was apparently ready to use them, to commit an evil act, perhaps against the children.

The award committee was very impressed, because the Park Department did not apologize to the residents and did not say it would do a better job, simply inspecting the park, to make it safe.

The award committee was also very impressed, because the Park Department thought the residents were very stupid. The Park Department had done a very bad job. The Park Department wanted more money from the residents for doing a very bad job. The Park Department wanted another $140 million from the residents.

I agree. We need strong elected officials who can’t be bought. I’m still reeling from the sting of the
Architecturally insensitive Mobility Hub that wasn’t approved by the BOA. How does this happen?

The guns could have been left in or near the tree as recently as the morning they were found. So, unless the exact time they were left there is determined, don’t blame city employees and contractors for being unaware they were there.

The Gables Insider poll on borrowing $140 million is rigged. It was put on the Gables Insider by people who will get the $140 million. They will all vote for it. They are betting the rest of the residents won’t bother to vote against it. They hope they will win the poll due to lack of interest from the rest of the residents. If that happens, the rest of the residents deserve to be scammed.

A leader is the label of a government. Putin is Russia.

For many, Mayor Lago has the label of no integrity. As a few quick examples, Mayor Lago was ok when Ramon Arias, the head of the planning board, deceived the residents on Biltmore Way by giving the Med-bonus to big builders; when Miriam Ramos, the City Attorney, did nothing to collect illegal parking fees that a crooked restaurant collected from innocent patrons at the Biltmore Hotel; and when the big builder wanted the Mobility Hub but the residents were clearly against it, Mayor Lago turned his back on democracy and gave the Mobility Hub to the big builder.

Now, Mayor Lago will probably not have the integrity to fire the employee(s) in the park department who didn’t find two loaded guns. Over-looking two loaded guns in a park for kids will be ok with him.

His decision on this issue will send another clear message about him. Again, it may mean a public servant, no matter how small or big a job title, is not held accountable to do the job as it should be done in the Coral Gables. The result is lack of trust in him and in the public servant.

I’m more concerned that I can get my house robbed at 9:30 in the morning. In the last year, 2 neighbors had their front door kicked in and house robbed in broad daylight. Those guns wound up in the park because of a robbery last August. Thankfully, nobody got hurt. Is there no way to get this crime under control???

Not the Mayor’s fault. He inherited a lot of excrement. Probably more than he ever anticipated. The Gables does not have a strong mayor. He has his hands tied, much like the City of Miami Mayor. That’s our fault as voters. The blame lies in his predecesors, a few which are still in CG administration. Lets first get rid of the city manager, and the city attorney, and work it on down, “clean house”!

Incredible to read blaming an elected official for the presence of two stolen guns in a Coral Gables park. This is just another unfortunate south Florida occurrence.. As a most desired place to visit, our city is exposed to this and more that most do not know about nor care to know. Guns abound in our country, so why not in our city? Why would Coral Gables not encounter this situation? What is next? A wall around the city? Checkpoints? Comments are laughable, at best. Enjoy the City Beatiful.

2 loaded guns in park near 2 schools!! The parks department didn’t find them. The children found them. The parks department is not doing its job. The children did their job. Praise the children and their parents for raising their children right.

Commissioner Kirk Menendez is out of his mind now to give the parks department another $140 million. The homeowners would also be crazy to agree to tax themselves $140 million for that department.

Mayor Lago also is not doing his job. As the Mayor, he is ultimately responsible for this horrible situation. If Mayor Lago doesn’t know what to do, I have a suggestion: start with getting rid of the dead-wood employees in park department who didn’t find the guns and make sure all park employees know their top job is to make the parks safe.

What does this have to do with Vince Lago? I agree with TooMuch. Aurelio, Coral Gables is not a gated community. We are a cosmopolitan city, and we welcome and encourage visitors from all over. The crime that was committed here has no correlation to people visiting Coral Gables to use outdoor exercise equipment. Please, let’s be reasonable.

If anyone wants to point fingers then why not point them at the owner who likely did not have the weapons under lock and key? Let’s be thankful that the children immediately called their parents in to help and that they in turn notified the authorities. Disposing of weapons that were stolen 7 months ago is hardly the Mayor’s fault.

Just what rational residents would expect would happen when you opened up our parks to outsiders. Free exercise equipment was installed outdoors at the Youth Center. Lots of outsiders using it. What would you expect, from our BLM kneeling Mayor L’Ego and former Commissioner Pat Keon.
Residents last!