FLORIDA CITY, FLA. (WSVN) - - A man was killed and another person was injured after a shooting occurred inside a Walmart in Florida City that led police to take three suspects into custody.
According to 7News sources, the shooting suspect was identified as 25-year-old Steve Lestin.
Miami-Dade Police have taken over the investigation into the incident, which occurred just before 3 p.m., Wednesday at the large retailer located at 33501 S. Dixie Highway.
Investigators said two people suffered gunshot wounds during the incident.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, a third person required medical attention for a panic attack resulting from the incident.
Investigators said a woman drove herself to the hospital to be treated for a head injury she suffered when she slipped and fell. Paramedics treated five other people at the scene for minor cuts and scrapes.
Witnesses inside the store said the shooting took place near the nail salon.
“When I went, like, to exit in the front, I saw a family crying, and I saw the guy laying down on the floor shot,” said witness Johnny Pacheco.
“Everybody started running, so I ran out the side door, man. I know at least two people got hit,” said another man.
MDPD Detective Alvaro Zabaleta provided further details about the incident at a news conference held Wednesday evening.
“What we do know is that … there was an altercation amongst two groups, three individuals on each side, where these individuals had some type of altercation amongst each other,” he said. “It escalated into a physical altercation where one of them produced a firearm, discharged it, striking these two individuals.”
Zabaleta said the surviving victim was transported by ground to Jackson South Medical Center where they are listed in stable condition.
“From what we understand, [this patient] was not involved in this altercation, happens to be a customer who appears to be struck by a stray bullet,” he said.
Police said the other victim was airlifted to Jackson South Trauma Center and succumbed to his injuries. They said he was one of the six people involved in the altercation.
Wednesday night, police identified the deceased victim as 23-year-old Nathaniel Baez.
Witnesses inside the store described the chaos that erupted after shots rang out.
“I just heard the shots, and everyone was coming out,” said witness Venilde Herrera.
“I heard six shots, ‘pow, pow, pow, pow, pow,'” said Pacheco.
Florida City Police units rushed to the store to find the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
Homestead Police and MDPD units also responded to the scene and taped off the area.
Cellphone video from inside the store shared on social media by True Homestead captured a woman saying in Spanish, “They’ve left.”
The footage then captured people screaming in the background. People were seen rushing to a person lying on the ground in front of the nail salon.
One customer who did not want to be identified said she was in the bathroom when she heard echoes of gunshots.
“Then, all of a sudden, I heard shots, I don’t know how many,” she said.
The customer said her friend was waiting for her outside.
“I dropped my phone, and everybody started running,” she said. “I heard people yelling to everyone to get out of the store. Next thing I know, people were pushing me, and I ended up out of the store.”
The customer said she got separated from her friend in the commotion. Now she desperately wants to know if he’s OK, but with a broken phone, she has no way of checking in on him.
“I’m terrified right now, ’cause I don’t know where he’s at,” she said. “I don’t know if he’s OK, I don’t know if he got shot, I don’t know if he’s alive.”
The customer said she remembers hearing screams, seeing police and getting shoved to safety.
“I kind of got rushed and pushed out to the side. Everyone was running; I kind of just got pushed into it,” she said. “It was like a stampede, and everyone just kept running, so I kind of just followed them, with the rush. When I got here I walked across, and it’s where I’ve been since.”
It took police roughly 45 minutes to clear out the Walmart. Several witnesses were seen waiting outside of the store.
Police said they detained one person, and the others who were involved took off.
“Four individuals that were involved in this fled from the scene,” said Zabaleta, “and that’s where we need the assistance of the community.”
Walmart released the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened by what took place in our Florida City store, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones. The store is closed at this time. We will work closely with local law enforcement through the course of their investigation and will refer further questions to police.“
The store reopened on Thursday.
As investigators piece this together, shoppers said that sadly, they’re not surprised a fight turned violent quickly and around people who had nothing to do with it.
“This is what it’s like nowadays; it’s like that everywhere,” said a customer who spoke with 7News.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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