PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - A man who was shot at by a former Miami-Dade School Board member outside a Pembroke Pines movie theater is speaking out more than a week after the incident occurred.
The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he wanted to clear up what happened between him and 81-year-old Solomon Stinson in the parking lot of the AMC Pembroke Lakes 9 on June 2.
“It wasn’t about the spot at all ’cause he just smiled at me and had a gun pointed at my face,” the man said.
Only on @wsvn: The victim, who police say was shot at by former Miami-Dade school board member, Solomon Stinson, shares what happened in the mall parking lot in Pembroke Pines. He says there wasn’t an argument between them. The story airs at 11. pic.twitter.com/pPU69PqlvD
— Marisela Burgos (@MBurgosNews) June 14, 2019
7News cameras captured the victim’s silver Toyota Yaris with its rear windshield shattered from the bullets.
On Thursday, 7News cameras showed several bullet holes inside the vehicle’s upholstery.
The victim said one of the bullets almost hit him.
“It seemed like he had a plan, and he knew what he was doing, and what he wanted to do, and all we could do was respond to survive,” he said.
The victim said he and his girlfriend had left the movie theater and were chatting between their cars.
“He just pulled up literally right behind my car and her car, sort of preventing us from backing out,” he said. “We didn’t know why. We assumed he wanted the spot, but again, he didn’t exhibit any behavior of someone who wanted the spot.”
The victim said he and Stinson did not get into an argument, and the couple wrapped up the conversation and were about to leave.
He said Stinson never said a word to them — even after his inquiries.
“Because he put his window down, I assumed he was trying to communicate, ‘Are you leaving?’ or anything like that,” the victim said. “When I got a foot or a foot-and-a-half from the door is when I noticed that he’s … he put the window down lower, and I could see that he was holding a gun and pointing it at me.”
He shouted at his girlfriend about the gun and took cover, and they both dialed 911.
“After the shot went off, and I ducked my head again, I could hear him laughing,” the victim said. “Then, I could hear the tires kinda moving over the glass, which gave me the heads up that he was moving his car.”
The victim said his girlfriend took a picture of Stinson and said she drove off, and Stinson followed her.
Police responded immediately, and they said Stinson shot at them, too, losing control of the car, crashing into some trees.
Stinson’s car then caught fire, and police took him into custody.
The couple is thankful that they are alive and not hurt.
“I just hope that the justice system does what it’s supposed to be done and puts away a dangerous guy,” the victim said.
The 81-year-old faces several charges that include attempted murder and fleeing police.
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