NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A violent night turned deadly in a Northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood after police said officers were forced to fire.
Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue responded Monday evening after an officer-involved shooting. It happened on Northwest 114th Street and 17th Avenue in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Originally, police had responded to a threatening phone call where a man said people were going to die and that he was going to kill someone. He also demanded for law enforcement to be on scene.
Neighbors told 7News the man made the call in the area of his own home.
Shortly after their arrival, officers from the North Side Division of MDPD encountered the man, 73-year-old Ernesto Battle, and said he seemed to have a rifle in hand.
Officers attempted to talk Battle into dropping the weapon and surrendering peacefully. It was unsuccessful, as, police said, he seemed to look as if he was going to point the firearm at the officers, which led them to fire.
Interim Director George A. Perez of the Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed this was a fatal police involved shooting.
“The Miami-Dade Police Department, through it’s 911 call center, received a call from an individual identifying himself as someone who was going to cause harm and kill someone,” said Perez, “at a location, at a residence in his block. Furthermore, the individual advised that if officers didn’t arrive within minutes someone would be dying. My officer attempted to deescalate the situation, a conversation was had, and the officer provided instructions to disarm and lay the firearm down. At some point, the individual did not compile with the officer’s request and direction to deescalate the situation and disarm himself, and at one point thereafter, the officer discharged his firearm.”
“He helped whoever he needed to help,” said Clara Mesa, a family member of the deceased. “No doubt, if he had a dollar, he’d give it to you.”
Family members of Battle said he is a father, a grandfather and uncle. They love him very much and are distraught about his loss.
Battle lived very close to where the incident occurred, right in front of his home.
The FDLE is now in charge of the investigation.
It is still being determined what type of gun Battle had.
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