MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A man is dead after, police say, officers were forced to fire outside a home in Miami Gardens.
Miami Gardens Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the backyard of a home near Northwest 36th Avenue on Friday evening.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene capturing a tarp on the ground, several evidence markers and the street being cornered off by police tape.
According to Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma K. Noel-Pratt, officers responded to a call of someone in distress. Upon their arrival, the subject who is 33-years-old was exhibiting signs of an episode and was believed to be armed.
Police said that a family member called, saying that someone at the residence was in crisis.
“An individual, is deceased on the scene.” said Noel-Pratt. “One, or maybe two officers fired their firearm.”
The chief added officers were forced to fire after it was believed that the subject was possibly going after another person at the home.
“They saw this person that had a weapon. There was potentially another person that was on the scene, that they saw a fit that they needed to protect that person,” said Noel-Pratt.
The deceased individual was Ivan Clark, who was a certified firefighter according to his family.
Clark’s mother Melinda mourned the loss of her son.
“It’s hard, it’s hard, you can never prepare yourself for something like this, you know that’s my firstborn son, you don’t expect to wake up one day and your son not be there,” said Melinda. “Very proud of all his accomplishments,”
Ivan’s sister Iesha shared her perspective on the shooting.
“He just moved me to the side, and when I moved, they just shot him,” said Iesha. “When they came up, I was tussling with my brother. I was trying to take the gun away from him, I was not in danger. He was not trying to hurt me. it may have seemed that way from their perspective.”
Clark’s sister was the person that police said they were protecting.
“I was just trying to take it from his hand. His hand was actually down and behind his back. It wasn’t pointed at the officers. It wasn’t up. It wasn’t like aiming and shooting,” said Iesha.
A firearm has since been recovered from the scene, according to police.
Noel-Pratt said the subject was pronounced deceased on scene.
An area resident said she felt scared of being so close to the violence on her block.
“This is the first time this happened,” said the young resident. “I was super scared.”
Melinda said that she regrets making the call that led to the shooting.
“I wish I had never made the call,” said Melinda. “I would’ve rather had him here, I wish I would’ve never called. I was trying to get help. But, it was like the worst decision of my life.”
Following protocol for a fatal police shooting, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident.
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