HIALEAH GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A man has been taken into custody, a dog was killed and three people, including the suspected shooter, suffered gunshot wounds when a crime spree that spanned two cities ended with an officer-involved shooting in Hialeah Gardens.
A dark-colored pickup truck could be seen surrounded by crime scene tape in the area of Northwest 121st Terrace and 90th Avenue, at around 5 p.m., Thursday.
“It could have been more tragic,” Miami-Dade Police detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. “We could have had two individuals dead. We could have had an officer dead.”
According to Miami-Dade Police, a 31-year-old man shot and killed a dog at his Hialeah Gardens home at around 3:30 p.m. Then, police said, the man went to the area of West 20th Lane in Hialeah.
“He then fled the residential area and went towards into the City of Hialeah, where he shot two individuals — a male and a female,” Zabaleta said.
Zabaleta added the man is 54 years old, and the woman is 79 years old.
Hialeah Fire Rescue officials said the two victims were hit in their legs, and they were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in stable condition.
Police said the subject then returned to his Hialeah Gardens home, where he shot towards responding officers, who returned fire.
Audio from the Hialeah Gardens shooting was captured on a home’s surveillance camera, as police and the subject exchanged multiple rounds. Video from the camera also showed the subject’s truck pull in as a police cruiser followed behind.
“Once he was here, he confronted responding officers,” Zabaleta said. “He opened fire at the officers. The officers returned fire, and he then continued to flee towards his residence.”
The subject was rushed to Kendall Regional Medical Center in stable condition. No officers were hurt in the shooting, police confirmed.
Neighbors like Isaiah Munoz were left stunned as they returned home Thursday to find a crime scene in their neighborhood.
“It’s just a crazy thing to see,” Munoz said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I grew up in this neighborhood. I’ve lived here my whole life. I’m 21 years old. I’ve never seen this in this neighborhood before.”
As of Thursday night, detectives continue to work the crime scene, and a portion of the neighborhood remains blocked off.
It is not yet clear what charges the man in custody, who has yet to be identified, may face.
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