MIAMI – An investigation has been launched following an incident in which a Miami-Dade police officer shot a man outside a convenience store on a Friday morning. The injured individual, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center for critical medical attention later in the evening.
The incident transpired at approximately 11:45 a.m. near the Los Primos Supermarket, situated at the intersection of NW 95th Street and NW 31st Avenue. According to investigators, a witness reported that the man in question was in possession of a firearm and had discharged four to five rounds into the air outside the nearby market.
Authorities have not yet provided information regarding the circumstances leading up to the gunfire or whether the individual had specific targets in mind.
Thankfully, there were no other reported injuries as a result of this incident. One witness, Rolando Rodriguez, recounted the events to CBS News Miami’s Peter D’Oench, saying, “I heard four or five shots and I told people to call 911 because he will kill somebody.
Then the guy walks away to another store and somebody already called the cops and they got there quick. He had fired shots in the air. When I went to the front door, I said call the cops. The guy is shooting. He put his gun back under his shirt and he went to the other store.”
Rodriguez also mentioned that officers had issued commands to the suspect, stating, “I heard officers say, ‘Don’t move. Don’t move.’ They thought he was going to draw it out, so that’s why police shot him.
They shot him because they were scared he was going to shoot. It seemed like self-defense to me. I think he was about 25 years old. I had never seen him before. He is not from this neighborhood.”
Following his interview with CBS News Miami, Rodriguez was escorted away from the scene for further questioning by the police.
Miami-Dade police Detective Angel Rodriguez stated that he was uncertain about the exact number of officers involved in the shooting, but he clarified, “When officers arrived and identified the subject, the individual reached for a firearm, prompting the officers to respond by discharging their weapons.”
Investigators have confirmed the recovery of the man’s weapon. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an inquiry into the incident, which is a standard procedure in such cases.
Detective Rodriguez emphasized, “It appears in this particular case the first and foremost thing is the safety of everyone in the community being a priority and of course the officers being safe as well so they can protect the community.”