HOMESTEAD, FLA. (WSVN) - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is investigating a deadly shooting that occurred in Homestead after a man wielded a sharp object at police officers.
The incident unfolded around 10:45 p.m. Thursday, near the intersection of Northwest Second Street and Krome Avenue, not far from Homestead Police Headquarters. Both Homestead and Miami-Dade police officers were on the scene, searching for evidence.
According to Miami-Dade Police, officers were looking for a criminal involved in a robbery that occurred on Wednesday. Detectives reportedly conducted a surveillance in an apartment complex, located at 40 NW 2nd St., where they found the subject armed with a sharp object on the second floor. A confrontation occurred, which led to one of the detectives to open fire on the man.
7News cameras captured blood on the ground near the second floor apartment.
The police-involved shooting, heard by witnesses around 10 p.m., led to the death of the 33-year-old subject after he was transported to a nearby hospital.
The victim’s stepfather, who did not want to show his face on camera, identified the man as Gabriel Rodriguez and described what happened.
“What I know {is that} around 12 midnight, the police arrived, knocked on the door, opened the door, they removed my wife and Gabriel’s girlfriend, took them outside. In five minutes, there were three to four shots fired inside the apartment,” he said.
He said the victim’s family is devastated.
“The apartment was filled with blood. The entire apartment. Mirrors broken from all the gunshots,” said the stepfather.
He described the family dynamic.
“He has a good relationship with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is pregnant. This is going to affect her,” he said.
Live video footage captured Miami-Dade Police officers, along with crime scene investigators and the FDLE, roaming the area and standing near a white Nissan Altima with its door open. The vehicle involved has since been towed away.
Neighbors said they were shocked to hear what happened.
A woman who owns a business across from the apartments said she was shocked after hearing of the shooting.
“I don’t like that it had to happen right behind the store because we have not had this kind of action around here,” said Peggy Jacobson. “This is very rare.”
According to the FDLE, Miami-Dade Police requested their officials to investigate the officer-involved shooting.
The officer involved in this shooting is on paid leave, which is protocol in this situation.
It is unclear when the family will be able to live in the apartment complex again.
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