Police fatally shoot man after suspect opened fire on innocent bystander at SW Miami-Dade apartment complex
MIAMII -- Miami-Dade police shot and killed a man overnight after the suspect allegedly shot an innocent bystander who later died from his injuries, police said Friday.
The 38-year-old man who was wounded was rushed for treatment to a local hospital where he later died, said Miami-Dade police detective and spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta during a news conference at the scene.
That man's cousin, who did not give her name, identified him as Jean Gutierrez. She told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "I am very sad. The victim was a good person. He did not get into any trouble. He only worked and came home. He was a victim of violence."
During a standoff with the suspect, identified by police as Donovan Watson, 25, members of the police Special Response Team opened fire on him, killing him after he allegedly fired several times at police and fired at a surveillance robot, according to Zabaleta. "He opened fire at our special response time striking their vehicle multiple times," said Zabaleta.
"He stepped out of the apartment and opened fire at our special response team members who were positioned in the parking lot. OUR SRT returned fire striking the individual who was pronounced dead at the scene."
The incident began when officers were called to the complex at 114th Avenue and 197th Street for a report of gunfire shortly after 10 p.m., according to police
"This individual (killed) was a random person who was walking towards his apartment and returning from work," Zabaleta said. "So it was a random victim . . . who was shot and killed."
A witness told CBS Miami that they hear four shots during the incident.
Another witness, Yadimisca Cabrera, shared cell phone video of the crime scene with CBS4 and said, "I heard some gunshots. I saw police lights and I told my husband somebody must have gotten shot. Then I saw SWAT. I was getting nervous because I am a mother. I also heard police yelling open the door, open the door."
A witness said he believes the alleged shooter suffers from mental illness and hallucinations because he hears him getting angry and frequently talking to himself.
A resident told CBS Miami that the suspect lives with his grandmother. The man said he heard the alleged shooter getting angry before he opened fire.
The resident said the mother ran out of the apartment to their neighbor, who is the grandfather, and that's when the man began firing randomly, shooting a man the witness says lived in the building.
Police have not identified the suspect.
Zabaleta said FDLE, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is investigating the police shooting, which is standard procedure in such cases.