MIAMI (WSVN) - An off-duty City of Miami Police officer said he was forced to fire after arriving at the scene of a violent struggle between a man and woman in Miami Lakes, killing the man, Sunday morning.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, there was an altercation between the man and woman. Officials said the officer responded to the scene at the intersection of 64th Avenue and Miami Lakes Drive, at around 7:20 a.m.
A witness who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera said there was a man holding a woman at knifepoint. “He was holding the lady on her neck,” she said.
According to the president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, Javier Ortiz, the officer, who has been on the job under a year, was driving home from work but was still in uniform at the time of the incident.
“My husband heard like seven shots, and when we get out, we saw a guy on the floor that is dead,” said the female witness.
Another witness, Walter Vilella, said the officer told the knife-wielding subject to get away from the woman, whom he had stabbed. “I see the police [officer with] a gun in his hand,” said Vilella. “He said, ‘Outside the car, outside the car.'”
Investigators said the officer heard the woman’s screams, leading to the deadly confrontation. Paramedics airlifted the victim, identified as 27-year-old Yurine Rodriguez-Perez, to Jackson Memorial Hospital with multiple stab wounds.
“Fortunately, she is in good condition at the moment,” said Miami-Dade Police Detective Argemis Colome.
Rodriguez-Perez is continuing to recover at the hospital, as of Monday morning.
Police said the officer tried to de-escalate the situation but was forced to fire after the subject did not comply with his commands, fatally striking him.
Police said the officer discharged his firearm because, they believe, the subject was trying to kill Rodriguez-Perez.
Ortiz said the law enforcer will be declared a hero once the investigation is complete. “If he didn’t take the action that he did, this woman would have died,” he said.
Area resident Juan Teran said, despite Sunday morning’s incident, this is a quiet neighborhood. “Around this area, it’s really hard to think there’s any crime involved or anything like that,” he said. “To me it’s shocking, ’cause I live right there, and I have kids around.”
“We are very scared because this is something new for us,” said the witness.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the police-involved shooting. Per protocol, the officer has been placed on administrative duty.
Ortiz said the officer was wearing a uniform at the time of the shooting.
Police have not identified the man who was shot and killed.
Officials said the officer has been placed on administrative duty, which they said is protocol, along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigating the shooting.
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