Police: Miramar mom shot, killed in front of her children
MIAMI - A SWAT team was called in to assist in the search for a man wanted in the deadly shooting of a woman in Miramar.
It unfolded Wednesday morning in the 2300 block of Desoto Drive.
"Our officers responded to the area and located an adult female who was found unresponsive near a vehicle, there were two small children nearby. Unfortunately, the woman was transported and pronounced dead at the hospital," said Miramar police spokeswoman Tania Rues.
"There was 3 gunshots that's what I heard," said neighbor Maria Mendoza. "No screaming, no yelling, no nothing."
She heard the gunfire that killed Jessica Frankel Singleton. When she went outside, she saw two of Singleton's children were there. She raced to help.
"I just saw they took the kids, one of them didn't have no clothes, I ran inside and got some blankets and took it to them for when they were taken by the cops," Mendoza said.
The suspect is the father of Singleton's 3 children, Derrick Feliciano Bargman-WIlliams. Investigators tell us he ran from the scene. The swat team went looking for him. It was a police dog that captured him, he was hiding behind a bush.
"My heart goes out to the mother, her, and the kids, they don't have a father, mother. That hurts more," Mendoza said.
According to the police report the shooting happened after the couple had been arguing.
Dr. Linda Parker is the CEO of Women in Distress. She tells us the holidays are normally their busiest time of year for domestic violence.
"You've got the stress of the holidays, which you know from a socioeconomic standpoint, can be very stressful. Being around family is stressful. You know, we talk a lot about, you know, being around different people at this time, there's usually alcohol involved at holiday parties so that ramps up the stress level," Dr. Parker said.
If it appears that stress is about to boil over, Dr. Parker suggests calling for help.
"I think they need to call us, call your local resources. It doesn't just have to be us. Miami has shelters, Palm Beach. We all have a domestic violence shelters," she said.