WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A suspected shooter turned himself in after, authorities said, a bullet from his gun struck a 9-year-old in what they called a case of road rage.
Jessy Betancourt, 24, surrendered to Florida Highway Patrol after, they said, he shot into a vehicle with a father and his daughter in the car along State Road 874 in Southwest Miami-Dade, at around 9 p.m., Nov. 16.
The suspect declined to answer whether or not he believes he has an anger management issue.
Moments later, 7News cameras captured Betancourt as a trooper handcuffed him and placed him under arrest.
According to FHP, there may have been some interaction between two vehicles before a man in a white Mustang pulled up next to a gray Chrysler with the father and daughter and began shooting, first at the driver’s side and then at the passenger side.
Speaking with 7News on the phone, the child’s mother said her daughter was heading home from dance practice with her father at the time of the shooting. She suffered a gunshot wound to the hip.
“She felt something that hit her door, and she goes, ‘Papi, something hit me over here,'” said the mother, “and when he saw that something was there, he touched her and he saw blood.”
The father drove straight to the hospital. He and his daughter sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.
The car had several bullet holes and blood was smeared on the inside.
Betancourt’s uncle was with him at the time of his surrender and eventual arrest.
“I’d like to say something,” his uncle said. “We’re under the impression [that] the other car shot at him first. He was shot at first. He retaliated. It was self-defense to protect his girlfriend.”
The girl’s mother said her husband couldn’t have fired a weapon at the suspect’s vehicle.
“With what gun, and where’s the bullet? OK, you can say whatever, but where’s the proof?” she said. “If you felt that it was self-defense, why didn’t you call the police like my husband did?”
Detectives tracked down Betancourt’s car and address with the help of toll cameras.
The girl’s mother said the child and her husband recall no interaction with the Mustang leading up to the shooting, so they have no idea what prompted it.
The concerned parent said her daughter underwent surgery Thursday night to remove the bullet and is on the mend.
Betancourt is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond. He faces several charges, including two counts of attempted premeditated murder.
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