SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are investigating what they described as a murder-suicide at a drive-thru ATM in Southwest Miami-Dade that left a man, a woman and a 3-year-old boy dead.
Meanwhile, a devastated community is mourning the victims, as they cope with their sudden loss.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the shooting happened outside a Chase Bank branch at the Meadows shopping plaza, located at the corner of Southwest 152nd Avenue and Bird Road, Friday morning.
Investigators said they received the emergency call just before 7:40 a.m. At around the same time, an on-duty uniformed Miami-Dade Police sergeant of the Kendall District was driving southbound when he heard gunshots nearby.
“As he was driving southbound at 152nd Avenue, approaching Bird Road, he heard gunshots,” said Miami-Dade Police Detective Luis Sierra.
Cellphone video shared with 7News by witnesses shows the moment captured a gunshot and a man standing next to a minivan.
The witnesses immediately alerted the officer who was passing by.
“Hey, they just killed someone! They’re shooting, they’re shooting! They’re shooting them over there,” one of the witnesses is heard saying in the video.
Another video showed MDPD officers with long guns approaching the Chase bank.
After locating the incident, the sergeant discovered the woman and child deceased inside the minivan, and a man deceased on the passenger side of the van.
7Skyforce showed an aerial view of the plaza where the minivan was shot up and seen parked near the ATM with its doors open. Another unidentified SUV was parked next to it.
During a briefing later Friday morning, Sierra confirmed that the man driving the unidentified silver SUV pulled next to the woman driving the minivan while she was in line at the ATM and opened fire, killing her and the toddler in the backseat.
“It appears to be that he opened fire on the minivan and then opened fire on himself,” said Sierra.
Detectives later identified the victims as 43-year-old Odalys Maria Bancroft and Theodore Couto.
Family members said Bancroft said she had stopped at the ATM before dropping off Couto, her 3-year-old son, at day care when the unthinkable happened.
A preliminary investigation revealed that one firearm was recovered, but there’s a possibility for another.
7News spoke with Couto’s father and other family members at their home. They declined to be interviewed on camera but said they are devastated beyond belief and trying to process how someone could do this.
Family members said Couto had graduated from pre-K on Thursday, and he spent the day dancing and celebrating with his family.
Bancroft’s neighbor said he is in shock about the tragedy.
“She was a very good person. It’s very sad,” he said.
Bancroft climbed the ranks at Jackson Health, where she was an operating room nurse and became director of regulatory affairs for the health system. Her colleagues were also shaken to hear about her death.
In a statement, Jackson Health System President and CEO Carlos A Migoya wrote:
“Since joining Jackson in 2015, Odalys has been a valued member of our team, known for her unwavering dedication, kindness, and exceptional talent. … Jackson is better because of Odalys and the indelible mark she made on our organization.”
Carlos A. Migoya, President and CEO, Jackson Health System
The Chase branch was back open by the afternoon, but the ATM section where the shooting occurred remained cordoned off with crime scene tape Friday night.
Some people later came to the ATM and dropped off balloons and flowers where the victims were shot, after forensic teams spent hours gathering evidence.
Authorities later taped up the minivan, and both vehicles were later towed away from the scene.
What led up to the shooting remains unknown, and homicide detectives have not identified the gunman, as they continue to investigate.
Couto’s loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
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