Former MDPD lieutenant in custody after shooting at ex-boyfriend, barricading herself
MIAMI - The sounds of power tools echoed through a quiet Miami neighborhood Friday night.
It's the aftermath of a standoff that left a home with serious damage.
"It was just really tense here all day because everyone had to be in their homes, we couldn't leave, we really didn't know what was going on," said neighbor Staci Bernard.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the standoff involved one of their former lieutenants.
Officials say around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 52-year-old Evelyn Fernandez shot at her ex-boyfriend, who they say is also a former law enforcement officer, near 282nd Street and SW 167th Avenue.
"He was in his vehicle at the time and luckily he was not injured," said Miami-Dade Police Assistant Director Rosana Cordero-Stutz.
According to the victim, both he and the defendant dated, as boyfriend and girlfriend, for one year. The
relationship ended a few weeks ago. Since then, the arrest report said Fernandez has been stalking him on multiple occasions.
On Thursday, the victim told police he was leaving a family member's residence when he noticed Fernandez's vehicle in the area.
The victim also told authorities that as he was leaving, Fernandez followed him and later pulled alongside his vehicle, pointed a firearm at him and stated, 'Do you want me to shoot you?'"
The arrest report says that as the victim accelerated his vehicle in order to flee from Fernandez, she fired several shots at the victim's vehicle striking it several times before fleeing the scene.
Fernandez fled the area to a home on SW 174th Street and 142nd Place Thursday night and barricaded herself inside.
Neighbors tell us Fernandez's daughter and her boyfriend live at the home.
"You really only see all this situation on TV when you're in the movies and all this stuff that cops had her outside like a never saw before in my life," said neighbor Maria Correa.
Heavily armed members of the special response team used negotiation tactics and methods like dropping tear gas and deploying a robot to get Fernandez out.
"There were moments when she appeared that she was going to be cooperative and then she would not be cooperative. During that time, there were also shots fired in that house by Miss Fernandez," said Cordero-Stutz.
After more than 12 hours, police pulled Fernandez out of the attic where she was hiding and took her into custody.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
Fernandez was taken away by some of her former colleagues, cuffed and subdued after the ordeal.
Neighbors say they're still in disbelief over the eventful Friday on their block.
"It's really sad, disheartening. It was traumatizing for everyone in the neighborhood really because we couldn't move, we didn't know what to do", said Bernard.
Fernandez is currently being held at TGK without bond. She appeared in bond court on Saturday morning, where she is still being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge.
She's facing several serious charges, including attempted first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Fernandez's ex-boyfriend also told police that on October 5, she threatened to kill his children in front of him.
CBS News Miami's news partner, The Miami Herald says that Fernandez was fired from the force about 7 years ago after a series of domestic violence incidents with former Miami-Dade Mayor, Police Director Carlos Alvarez.