WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A career criminal living in the U.S. illegally is behind bars after he allegedly shot and killed a man at a West-Miami Dade parking lot.
Police said convicted felon David Paneque was caught on surveillance video shooting a man just after 4 a.m. on March 24.
Immigration Customs Enforcement officials said Paneque is a Cuban citizen who is in the U.S. illegally.
A recently-released interrogation video shows an interrogator and Paneque discussing what happened that March morning.
“The whole thing’s on video. Why’d you shoot him?” an interrogator asked Paneque.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Paneque replied.
The interrogator asked again, “Why’d you shoot him?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Paneque responded.
Police said the victim is Leandro Lopez.
Paneque could be seen on the surveillance video pulling a gun on Lopez early on, police said.
The video shows the two exchanging words for several minutes, and at times, the situation seems to de-escalate.
However, the gun gets pulled out again and shots were fired, the video shows.
“If he did something, you need to tell me,” a detective told Paneque. “If something happened, you need to tell me. ”
“I don’t know,” Paneque replied.
Paneque was not supposed to be in the country.
Two years ago, he was taken into ICE custody after serving a 10-year state prison sentence.
A judge ordered Paneque to be deported, but ICE had to release him because, with few exceptions, aliens with final order of removal legally cannot be detained more than six months if it seems their country of origin will not take them back.
“So, you’re being charged with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, possession of a concealed firearm by a career criminal and armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon,” Judge Renatha S. Francis said in bond court.
Paneque, therefore, is currently behind bars charged with murder.
The interrogator asked, “You don’t know what?”
“I don’t know nothing. I plead the Fifth. I have the right to remain silent,” Paneque said to the detective.
“You do, sir. You have the right to remain silent. You are under arrest for first-degree murder,” the detective replied.
Paneque has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
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