SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police swarmed a neighborhood in Sunrise where, investigators said, a man was shot and killed in what is being investigated as an act of self-defense.
Sunrise Police and Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the scene of a reported shooting at an apartment complex located along the 7600 block of Northwest 42nd Place, off University Drive, just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Upon arrival, officers found the victim. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the shooting stemmed from an argument between two men during which one of them shot the other in what detectives are investigating as self-defense. Investigators added that the men are not domestically related.
Neighbors said they woke up to police sirens. They came outside to find the man’s body next to a building, in the middle of an area that is visible to all residents.
A woman who identified herself as Amanda said that she didn’t initially realize that the pops she heard were gunshots.
“It was crazy, it was five quick pops, like, ‘pop, pop, pop, pop,’ like real quick, and then I didn’t think nothing of it, I thought fireworks,” said Amanda, who is so concerned for her safety that she asked not to show her face on camera.
However, Amanda did share cellphone video with 7News showing a police officer using a flashlight while standing next to the victim’s body.
“No, I need to move. This is not good,” Amanda is heard saying in the video.
7News has learned the victim lay there uncovered for quite some time before first responders arrived.
Cameras captured crime scene investigators as they searched for clues while holding flashlights and evidence bags. They were also seen speaking with residents in an attempt to track down witnesses and piece together what happened.
Thursday morning, detectives were seen going door to door at the apartment complex.
Residents, meanwhile, are finding this complex feels less like a home and more like a crime scene.
“It’s a little scary. I don’t feel so safe anymore,” said Amanda. “My mom had been held at gunpoint, to her head, actually, right in front of the Jiffy Lube, right there, and now this. After last night, I kind of feel like I want to move.”
Amanda is not alone.
“I am finishing my lease here. That was the plan from the beginning; this neighborhood is really bad to have a kid in,” said Leah Rushford, another resident of the apartment complex.
Now these neighbors are anxious to learn more about what happened and whether the victim was one of their own.
“I’m nervous to find out who it is and, you know, if I know them, if [they’re related to someone] my son plays with, something,” said Rushford. “So, it’s very scary, but it’s sad. We’ve got to end gun violence.”
Detectives said they have not made any arrests, and there is no threat to the public, as they continue to investigate.
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