Miami Police: Homeless Man Apparently Shot, Killed In His Sleep
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami police are investigating the death of a homeless man who was apparently shot while he slept underneath the Metrorail tracks.
According to Miami Police spokesman Michael Vega, it's believed the unidentified man's girlfriend called 911 Sunday night to report the death.
Vega says it's not known if she was with him at the time of the shooting, but she is cooperating with investigators.
Vega told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "It is very possibly a gunshot wound but we are not confirming that. It will be up to the Medical Examiner's office to confirm. We have no clue why this happened. This is why we are investigating and looking at surveillance tape. We just need help. Someone may have been in the area and this is a busy area at southwest 30th Avenue and U.S. One. Maybe there is somebody out there who may have heard something or seen something. Maybe it was just as simple as seeing someone running across U.S. One. We are talking about between 9 and 9:30 on a Sunday night. We still need that one clue to piece this together and connect that person to the crime."
The man was found dead near the 3000 block of SW 28th Lane near U.S. 1., on a grassy area behind a business and near the walking path under the Miami-Dade Metrorail. It is an area where homeless people are known to sleep.
Vega says solving this crime is s priority and he is deeply troubled by this crime.
"It's disheartening to see something like this happen, especially close to the holidays, where you have a person who has nothing, who is here sleeping and gets killed in this tragic way," Vega said.
There are surveillance cameras in the area that could help investigators, however, the gun has not been recovered, according to Vega.
Anyone with information is asked to call Miami Police or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
There is a reward of up to $3,000.
