Police shoot man who allegedly fired gun into the air outside NW Miami-Dade market
MIAMI - An investigation is underway after a Miami-Dade police officer shot a man outside a convenience store Friday morning, authorities said.
The injured man, who was not immediately identified, was taken for treatment to the Ryder Trauma Center, where he was listed in critical condition Friday evening.
The incident happened around 11:45 a.m. near Los Primos Supermarket at NW 95th Street and NW 31st Avenue, according to investigators.
A witness said the man had a gun and fired four to five shots in the air outside the nearby market. Investigators did not immediately say what led to the gunfire or if the suspect was targeting anyone.
No other injuries were reported.
Witness Rolando Rodriguez told CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench: "I heard four or five shots and I told people to call 911 because he will kill somebody. Then the guy walks away to another store and somebody already called the cops and they got there quick. He had fired shots in the air.
"When I went to the front door, I said call the cops. The guy is shooting," Rodriguez said. "He put his gun back under his shirt and he went to the other store."
The man said officers gave the suspect several commands.
"I heard officers say, 'Don't move. Don't move,'" Rodriguez said. "They thought he was going to draw it out so that's why police shot him. They shot him because they were scared he was going to shoot. It seemed like self defense to me. I think he was about 25 years old. I never seen him before. He is not from this neighborhood."
Shortly after speaking to CBS News Miami, Rodriguez was escorted from the scene to be interviewed by police.
Miami-Dade police Detective Angel Rodriguez said he was not sure how many officers were involved in the shooting.
"When officers got there and they identified who the subject was the subject reached for a firearm, which prompted the officers to engage and discharge their weapons," he said.
Investigators said the man's weapon was recovered.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, which is standard procedure in such cases.
"It appears in this particular case the first and foremost thing is the safety of everyone in the community being a priority and of course the officers being safe as well so they can protect the community," Detective Rodriguez said.
