FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A man was found shot to death inside his car in a residential Fort Lauderdale neighborhood, police said, leaving his family devastated and triggering a search for the gunman responsible, as many questions remain unanswered.
Fort Lauderdale Police units responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the area of Northwest 13th Court, off 13th Avenue, at around 4:25 a.m. on Wednesday.
While canvassing the area, officers located the victim in the driver’s seat of a white sedan parked outside of his parents’ home. located just east of Interstate 95, blocks away from Sunrise Boulevard. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hours later, the man’s father, Philipp Menard, identified him as 32-year-old Mike Menard.
“I tried, I tried, I tried,” he said as he wiped away tears.
Surveillance video captured Mike’s final moments. He is seen taking out the trash, then getting into his car.
Moments later, detectives said, he was shot and killed.
“When I wake up, after the shots, I heard the shots, so I wake up,” said Philipp.
A nearby surveillance camera captured the sound of gunfire, as well as the subject running off and then driving away.
Neighbors who live across the street told 7News they woke up to the sound of gunfire. They said they heard several gunshots, followed by the large police presence feet from their front door.
“It’s like 4 o’clock in the morning, and we only heard three shots, that’s it,” said a woman. “I was super scared, because it was like ‘boom, boom, boom.'”
7News cameras captured the victim’s white car with bullet holes on the driver’s side window, as well as bullet casings around the vehicle, as crime scene investigators combed the scene for evidence, took photos and looked in the ground with what appeared to be metal detectors.
“I watched from my window, and I see police come in, come in, come in — two police, three police, four police, 10 police [vehicles],” said Philipp.
At least two other vehicles were also hit by gunfire. The shooter would get away.
“Yes, it’s making me cry right now. I mean, it’s so close to my house,” said a woman who lives nearby. “I can’t believe it.”
Officers shut down a portion of Northwest 13th Court while they investigated.
Philipp said his son was born in Haiti, and his family moved to the United States when he was just a toddler. The victim leaves behind a child of his own: a 5-year-old girl.
“I’m trying to be strong. Take it, take [the] life of something, somebody, that’s painful. Today it’s me, tomorrow it could be someone else,” said Philipp.
The grieving father said Mike was the first in their family to graduate and had a bright future ahead of him.
“He was the only guy in my family to reach that level,” said Philipp.
But Philipp said he got caught up with the wrong crowd, which he believes led to this tragedy. He said the shooting was the culmination of a tense week during which his family’s home was targeted.
First, Philipp said, their tree was set on fire. Days later, they woke up to bullet holes in their house.
Now, Philipp said, he and his family are hoping for peace and to find out why this happened.
“Life, it goes on. It’s done; I try,” he said.
The Menard family told 7News they are just trying to figure out what it was that made Mike go outside so early in the morning. They’ve handed his phone over to detectives to hopefully get that answer.
Mike’s body was later removed from the scene by the medical examiner, and his car was towed away.
As homicide detectives continue to investigate this shooting and search for the gunman, they encourage anyone with information to contact them.
If you have any information on this shooting or the subject’s whereabouts, call Fort Lauderdale Police at 954-828-5700 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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