MIAMI (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man in connection to the shooting death of a Miami body shop owner who was shot while at his own business.
Thirty-eight-year-old Ferris Phillips II turned himself in to Fort Lauderdale Police shortly after Tuesday morning’s shooting.
Miami Police units responded to a ShotSpotter alert at the Perfect Paint & Body Shop, located at 7455 NW 7th Ave.
Responding officers arrived to find the victim suffering from gunshot wounds .
Miami Fire Rescue crews arrived and pronounced the man dead..
The victim was identified as 47-year-old Nader Aweidah, also known as “Bubba” to the community and those he loved.
“He’s a beautiful person, and may God keep his soul, forever. Love you, Bubba,” said body shop employee Richard Rios.
Wednesday afternoon, 7News cameras captured flowers lining up the entrance to the body shop.
Friends of the victim said he had welcomed his sixth child with his wife and just wanted the best for his children.
“He was always empowering people to keep going forward and never give up and always try to do right in life,” said a friend of the victim who identified himself as Joshua.
Shortly after the shooting, Miami Police detectives said, Phillips parked his car at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and told an officer he had shot someone in the City of Miami.
“Our detectives went, investigated, and they found out that this was the gentleman that was involved in the shooting,” said City of Miami Police Officer Michael Vega.
Police in Fort Lauderdale detained Phillips until Miami Police officers arrived and connected him to Aweidah’s murder.
Investigators said officers located a long rifle and a firearm inside a vehicle.
“We’re trying to establish if that was the gun that was used in this murder,” said Vega.
An employee who tried to help Aweidah told 7News off camera that several people tried carrying Aweidah out of the office in order to take him to the hospital, but it was too late.
“You’re destroying families, you’re destroying legacies, for what?” said Joshua.
The motive is still unknown, but people at the body shop said they believe Phillips may have been having an issue with Aweidah over car parts.
Back at the body shop, those who knew Aweidah said the has a kind and giving person, as they remembered a good friend and father who is gone too soon.
“He helped a lot of people, and for somebody to give back to the community, you don’t see that. You don’t see somebody in the community giving back to the people,” said Joshua. “People would come up here, couldn’t afford to get their car fixed, and he’d go out his way to fix the car, like, ‘Man, don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it.’ That’s just the type of person he was; he didn’t care about the money.”
Phillips will be transferred to Miami to face a judge to determine a potential bond.
A candlelight vigil is set to take place near the body shop at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to honor Aweidah’s life.
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