WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - An altercation between two men inside a Walmart in West Miami-Dade escalated into gun violence, leaving one of them dead and the other taken into custody, police said.
Miami-Dade Police units responded to the store, located at 8400 Coral Way, Saturday morning.
Investigators said the incident occurred just before 9:45 a.m.
One shopper who said she heard gunfire was Yvette Nylund, a nurse at South Miami Hospital.
As a front-line worker dealing with COVID-19 for the past six months, Nylund said, she wasn’t expecting the emergency to show up during a stop at Walmart to make a return.
“It was really scary. I’ve never experienced anything like that, even as a nurse,” she said.
The shots sent customers running for the exits.
“I hear something like a shot, and the people run away, and me too,” said a witness who identified himself as Larry.
“One of the employees had the nerve to tell me ‘No, this is only for the employee exit,’ and I’m like, ‘Well, try to stop me,'” said another witness, “so I was able to escape through the back, and now this is the aftermath.”
Nylund returned to the store, hoping she could help the man who, police said, was shot in the back of the store.
“By the time I got to my car to get my medical equipment and came back, police and I both were there to help and start CPR,” she said.
Nylund described the injured victim.
“The gentleman was wearing a mask when I rolled him over and took his mask off,” she said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the scene shortly after and pronounced the man dead.
Officials said the other man involved in the argument was taken into custody for questioning, but at this point, investigators do not have a motive.
“The preliminary information that we have is that both adult males were engaged in some sort of altercation which escalated, leading to the shots fired,” said MDPD detective Angel Rodriguez.
A spokesperson for Walmart issued a statement that reads, “We are shocked and saddened by today’s incident and will do everything possible to assist police in their investigation. We’re grateful for their swift response, and our hearts go out to those affected by the events of this morning.”
Homicide detectives as attempting to determine whether this was a case of self-defense.
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