MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A man accused of opening fire against his mother-in-law will remain behind bars after he was denied bond.
The victim, who is in her 60s, remains in critical condition after, police said, 49-year-old Bilal Ismail shot her in her home on the 4400 block of Northwest 203rd Terrace in Miami Gardens.
Detectives said the suspect fled the scene of the crime in a blue Ford F-15 pickup truck.
Police tracked down Ismail to the area of Northwest 199th Street and 37th Avenue, Tuesday morning.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene as officers with the Miami Gardens Police Department Investigation Unit, as well as the Hialeah Police Department, took him into custody.
According to MGPD, their investigation division performed a traffic felony stop when they spotted Ismail in a silver Toyota RAV4. He led them on a pursuit that ended in a Miami Gardens gas station. Surveillance footage captured the takedown.
Ismail faced a judge for the first time Wednesday morning. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy S. Glazer denied him bond.
“He’s very violent. He shot the victim in her head. The bullet traveled down her throat and entered her abdomen,” said Glazer.
Claudia Quintero is the daughter of the victim, as well as Ismail’s ex-partner and the mother of his two children. Speaking to the judge through a translator, she detailed years of abuse.
“He said, ‘I want to kill your mother,'” said Quintero. “I’m afraid for my children’s lives, my family’s life, and my sister’s life.”
Quintero and Ismail had been together for years and separated for the past few months. She recounted that he had been stalking her for months, even going as far as putting a GPS in her car.
“He was trying to kill her,” said Glazer. “That’s why he allegedly shot her. It does not look like the heat of the moment. It looked like he had intent.”
Quintero agreed with the judge.
“He is not innocent. He did this with premeditation. He knew where my mom was going to be,” she said. “He has been following me. He has been using the GPS to track my car. He knew where I was at that point, and he went in through an open door that he knew was open. He knew my mom was going to be alone.”
Ismail faces charges of second-degree murder.
A stay-away order was given, and he will remain behind bars awaiting his trial.
If you, or someone you know is in an abusive home, help is available at the Florida Domestic Violence Crisis Hotline 1-800-500-1119. You can also contact Women in Distress at 954-761-1133 for help or to donate to their cause on their website.
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